The Bells of Castanet
by Nova Edgewater
Summary: re-write up - Molly returns to Castanet after 12 years. She returns only to find the island is deteriorating, and she must save it. She is now in the middle of an intricate battle between deities she never believe existed. Will she be able to save the island?
1. Prologue

**Note: This story is back up and running. I've noticed that there have been some people who have added this story as their favorite, and I thank you for that. I really did not like the character development in Molly. She was becoming harder for me to like as a protagonist. I also did not like the way I introduced the story. So this is going to be the new way that I introduced it. If you like it please comment on what you think about it. It helps me to know what you like and what you think I should change. I do try to respond to everyone's comments if I can but if I miss yours I am very sorry. Anyway I hope you enjoy this. If you've read this story you will notice not much has changed, mostly the beginning and some parts in the middle. Thanks for reading and enjoy!**

If there was such a thing as an organized pack rat, Molly's mother certainly qualified for such a title. Molly eyes scanned the overly organized attic in awe. It was unlike any other attic; each box was carefully stacked. labeled, and alphabetically arranged. Everything was pristine and in straight lines, like everything else in her mother's life. Her mother took comfort in organization, as a result much of Molly's life had always been routine and organized. Molly had inherited some of her mother's orderliness, but even Molly would not have gone to the extremes her mother had in the attic. From the lack of cobwebs and dust, it was evident it was also cleaned on a regular basis.

In the ten years since Molly and her mother had moved in with her stepfather Harrison, Molly had never ventured up to the attic. But this year, Harrison had taken her mother on a cruise over New Years. Molly's mother, who simply could not stand the idea of the Christmas decorations being up past the New Year, had asked her to take them down and put them away in the attic. Molly had come to simply put the decorations away, but then suddenly saw all the boxes labeled with her name. They had even been organized by year. Curiosity got the better of Molly and she wanted to know what her mother had deemed too important to throw away. She delved into the boxes.

Molly stood up to stretch her sore muscles, her legs sore after sitting indian style for most of the afternoon. She had been traveling through time and recalling her childhood as she looked through paintings, school papers, and report cards. A small sliver of sunlight was beaming through the attic window, it had changed position several times since Molly had started looking through the boxes. Her gaze followed the beam to a box that was simply labeled "Jack." Her heart fluttered in her chest, and an old pain that she had long ago buried started bubbling to the surface. Jack was her father's name.

She had not spoken, nor heard from her father since she and her mother had left Castanet Island twelve years earlier. Molly could almost remember every detail in her mind of that mild summer day when she had last seen him. After a while she had tucked that memory safely into the recesses of her mind, where it could no longer make her cry; like so many other things Molly had tucked away. She felt the tightening in her chest as she remembered how every day for six months she had anxiously waited while her mother would get the mail, for her father's promised letters. Every day her mother would come into the house and sadly shake her head saying "No honey, nothing today. I am sorry." Molly had eventually given up on any change of ever hearing from her father. Life had continued as usual. Molly had learned how to endure the pain, and eventually buried it along with the memories of her life on the farm. As she grew Molly had learned to protect herself. She had learned to keep people compartmentalized in her mind, and keep them at a safe distance. It was the reason that Molly had not cried since she was eleven years old. It was also the reason why she had never made a real connection with another human being.

Looking the box that had her father's name on it caused a range of emotions that Molly was unaccustomed to dealing with, flow through her. A warm heat rushed to her face as she slowly walked over to the offending box. As much as her mother detested even the mention of Molly's biological father, she wondered why the box even existed. Once again curiosity took over and Molly could not resist finding out what her mother had thought was important enough to keep around from her life with Molly's father. She carried the large box to the center of the attic, and with trembling fingers she tentatively lifted the lid. She was unsure of what she expected, but the contents in the box surprised her. Laying on the top was a large manilla envelope that was addressed to her. It was postmarked from three years ago. The envelope had been opened. She carefully drew the documents out. The first letter had a stationary heading saying "Attorney Gill Hamilton, Castanet Island." The next paper caused all of neat little boxes in which Molly safely tucked her emotions in, to tumble down; it simply said "Last Will and Testament of Jack Hardin." She started trembling; all of the pain she had buried for the past twelve years of her life came rushing back. A sharp physical pain gripped her chest, and she collapsed to the ground in tears.

* * *

Molly sat at the table waiting for her mother and Harrison to walk through the door. She had cried all the tears she was willing to cry. Directly in front of her was her father's will; stating that he had left her the family farm, and his dying wish was for his daughter to take it over. Each of the boxes labeled by year were lined up on the table like little soldiers standing in wait for the battle that was about to ensue. The boxes contained all the letters and cards her father had sent over the past twelve years, that her mother had hidden from her. Molly sat with her legs crossed, patiently waiting.

She heard the key turning, and she closed her eyes taking a deep breath. The first person she saw was Harrison with all the luggage, her mother followed shortly after looking as if she'd just stepped off a runway, instead of riding an airplane for hours.

"Hello Moll!" Harrison called out. He came forward to give Molly a hug, she pulled away, looking directly at her mother, who was eying the boxes sitting on the kitchen table.

"Why did you hide this from me?" Molly asked. She picked up the will and held it up. Harrison's eyes moved to the paper that Molly was holding, she heard his slight intake of breath.

"How did you find that?" her mother asked, her voice was shaky. The composure that her mother always had was gone.

"I went into the attic to put away the decorations, and I found the box labeled 'Jack.' How could you hide this from me all these years?" Molly asked the emotion in her voice was thick, and she struggled to stay calm.

"You had no right to go through that..."

"It's my stuff! They are letters to me! You had no right to keep this from me!" Molly shouted, no longer able to control the anger she felt towards her mother.

"Now Molly, I think your mother had the best..."

"This doesn't concern you!" Molly spat out, interrupting Harrison.

"Molly! Do not speak with your father that way!" her mother chided.

"He's not my father," Molly said calmly, once again trying to control the onslaught of emotions tearing at her soul. "My father is apparently dead." Molly walked up to her mother and grabbed her shoulders. "Why did you hide this from me?" Her mother's gaze dropped to the floor, Molly could see the struggle on her face. For the first time since they'd let Castanet her mother had tears in her eyes.

"I was trying to protect you Molly," her mother whispered. "Your father is... was not the most reliable man. I just did not want you to get hurt."

"Not the most reliable man?" Molly asked incredulously. "He wrote me consistently over all these years, even though there was never a response back. I've read them all. You had no right to keep this from me."

"Molly I just wanted to protect you."

"Were you trying to protect me? Or were you trying to protect yourself?" Molly asked.

"Molly I think that's enough," Harrison interjected. Molly backed away from her mother and stared alternately at Harrison then back to her mother. The silence hung between the three of them like nooses, waiting to be pulled.

"I'm going to Castanet," Molly said finally shattering the delicate threads of her mother's grip on her emotions. Her mother collapsed into a chair and started sobbing

"D-don't go!" Her mother wailed in between sobs. Molly stepped towards her mother and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I have to," Molly stated with finality.**  
**


	2. Memories and New Beginnings

**Note: You will notice that I have combined some Chapters together, mostly because I thought they fit together really well. Molly is less emotional in this rewrite. The reason why I did that is because of the things that Molly is going to have to face in the future of this story, and I did not want a protagonist that was constantly breaking down. (Personally I thought that would be annoying) but anyway this Chapter is pretty similar to what you've already encountered. So I hope you enjoy :)  
**

Molly stared in disbelief at the shambled remains of her childhood home. This place held so many memories both good and bad. She was completely and utterly shocked to see the state of disarray that the family farm was now in. Several things had changed in twelve years. The last time she'd seen the farm, the fields had been full of luscious crops, and the grass had been a beautiful vibrant green. The small farmhouse had been gleaming in its fresh coat of blue paint. There had been strong healthy animals grazing in the pastures, and several chickens had been running freely around the farm. She had been crying. She had not wanted to leave Castanet or her father. She remembered clinging to him one last time, as her mother gently pulled her away. "Ill write you every week!" he called out. She had continued to look back at the farm as they were taken farther away from it. Her father had stood in the field alone waving, she watched him for as long as she could, until they had turned the corner into Harmonica Town and he was no longer visible.

The decrepit farmland before her now, blurred as moisture began to gather again in her large honey colored eyes. The land seemed to parallel the current state of disrepair her life was in. The blue paint was mostly chipped from the farmhouse, revealing grey weather worn wood. The field was overcome with weeds, boulders, and bits of trash. Trees had started to grow in the field as well. The roof of the old farmhouse had several boards missing, and the old chicken coop appeared to be leaning over towards one side, as if one strong wind would completely blow it over. The barn also had chunks of siding, and roofing missing from it. The pasture grass was a dull brownish color with spurts of dull green sprinkled throughout. She allowed her mind to wander to happier times on the farm, recalling old rusted out, seldom used memories.

* * *

_His large hand enveloped hers, as they walked together to the large barn. He was humming an old familiar tune that she had heard so many times before. The tall grass tickled her feet, and she could smell the sweet smell of Pink-Cat flowers wafting from the flowerbed. She giggled and ran over to the flowers burying her nose into them. Her father finally reached her, and bent down and picked one of the beautiful pink flowers, turning Molly around he carefully placed the flower in the clasp of her overalls. _

_"A beautiful girl always deserves a beautiful flower," he said smiling at her. She giggled and kissed her father on the cheek. _

_"Daddy, will you always love me?" she asked. _

_"Always," her father replied back. _

_"Even if I did really naughty things?" she asked. He swooped her up into his arms and stood up. She was close to his face. _

_"Molly I will love you no matter what it is you do. that is what is fathers do," he assured her. _

_"Do you promise Daddy?" Molly asked. _

_"Molly I will love you until the end of time, until the stars no longer shine in the sky, I will love you." He planted a kiss on Molly's forehead, which caused the young girl to giggle._

* * *

That memory had haunted Molly's dreams for so many years as she struggled to understand why her father had stopped loving her. He had promised he would love her forever. It hit her in that moment standing in front of the farmhouse, that her father had in fact kept that promise to her. He had loved her no matter what. He had continued to send her letters over the years even with no response, until he died.

"Young lady, this is private property, what are you doing here?" The sound of a harsh male's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She whirled around to face the man who was addressing her. She recognized the face almost immediately. Even after all these years she still remembered him. His face had aged some, there were wrinkles creasing the corners of his eyes, and his light brown hair was starting to become peppered with flecks of grey. He was larger and stockier than when she had last seen him.

"Uncle Cain?" It came out as whisper. Cain stood for a moment blinking in confusion. Molly could see he did not recognize her, but she had been away for so long. "It's me Molly." Molly watched as a mixture of recognition and shock covered his face.

"Molly?" Cain asked. Both stood as if paralyzed, neither one of them able to speak or move. Molly had the sense that Cain must be wondering if he was hallucinating, and Molly was unable to say anything past the lump that was forming in her throat. A soft wind was blowing across the farmland toying with her skirt and her long brown locks of hair, blowing it across her face. Molly's hand reached up to brush the hair out of her face.

"Yes, it's me," Molly finally answered, steadying her voice. She lifted her head a bit higher when she saw the look of anger flash in the older man's eyes. As unwarranted as the anger he must be feeling was towards her, she also understood it. To him, she was the child who had left behind her father and forgotten about him. She had been the one to walk away and never turn back. He had no way of knowing that her mother was the one who had kept father and daughter apart all these years. Molly was incapable of even speaking those words at the moment. She instead opted for a more neutral conversation point. "Is this place livable?"

"Not at the moment," Cain answered roughly. "Needs a lot of work. Jack's been gone for over three years, for the last year his illness had him living in the clinic." Molly sighed dejectedly. This was going to be harder than she thought. Cain looked at Molly with a look of sudden understanding. "Why are you planning on living here?"

"I- I'm not really sure what I'm going to do at the moment," Molly explained. "I know that this is what my father wanted, for me to continue on with his farm."

"Since when have you cared what your father wanted," Cain retorted. Molly's jaw clenched, as she fought back the angry words that threatened to spill from her lips. It was not Cain's fault for thinking the way he did. Cain softened a bit. "Tell you what, if you really want to stay here, with some work it could probably be in suitable living conditions within a week or so. Won't be the prettiest place to live, but it would at least be tolerable."

"Thank you," Molly whispered.

I'm doing this for Jack, because it's what Jack wanted," Cain answered back tersely. "If you want you can keep your things stored at our place, until we get this place fixed up a bit more, You'll probably want to stay in the Inn until we do. I'll go back to my farm and grab my wagon."

"I didn't know!" Molly blurted out before she could stop the words from tumbling out of her mouth. Cain slowly turned back around. She could see the hesitation and question on his face, as his brow furrowed. "I didn't know he was dying. I didn't even know he wanted to see me. I... the letters were hidden from me. I thought he had forgotten all about me." Molly willed her voice to stay calm as the words she'd been unable to say previously cascaded from her lips.

"Molly, I'm sorry," he muttered he dug his hands into his pockets and looked clearly ashamed of his behavior towards her. She gave him her best fake smile.

"No hard feelings," Molly said. "You're my family. I just wanted you to know. I need family right now." Even as she spoke the words, Molly was astonished by how sincere they were. Molly's life had consisted of her building tiny infrastructures around her emotions, and who she really was. She never dared allowed herself to rely on anyone. But at this moment she needed someone to be on her side. Cain's look softened, and he took two giant steps forward and gathered Molly into an embrace. For a moment Molly stood shocked, unsure of how to react. Slowly she felt herself wrap her arms around Cain's waist, allowing his strength to comfort her.

* * *

A strong energy had whisked through causing him to feel unsettled. He could not shake the feeling that he was on the precipice of a breakthrough for saving Castanet. Ever since, the Wizard had felt a restlessness unlike he had ever experienced before. He had attempted to work diligently doing his research, but he was failing miserably at it. His work had been all consuming lately, especially since the Witch Princess had managed to turn herself into a frog. It was now left up to him to try to find a way to save the dying Goddess Tree, and the ever fading Harvest Goddess. It was not as if the Witch, as he called her, had helped that much anyway. She hated the Harvest Goddess, and was only doing so to save Castanet, a place which she loved dearly. But even the minuscule amount of help she had offered was missed by the Wizard, now that there was nothing she could do in her current state of being

He smiled a bit at the thought of the Witch has a Frog. They had never gotten along, and it was a sort of sweet justice in his opinion. She was always doing things that aggravated him, and he had warned her repeatedly that her plan would not work. He knew that the answer was in the bells. There would be nothing else that could save Castanet. He was cautious about what needed to be done. The last time they had attempted had turned out disastrously. He was starting to lose hope.

Wizard very rarely made mistakes. He was methodical and careful, and always checked, and re-checked everything before he proceeded with a plan. It had taken him six months worth of research before he had decided to allow Jack to help save Castanet. He was always thorough. What he had not factored in was the unpredictability of the human mind. He had not taken into consideration Jack, and the type of person Jack had been.

He sighed in frustration, he had been trying to read the same page in the same book for a good fifteen minutes. It was pointless, he was not getting anywhere in his research. He could not concentrate. It was still too light to look in his telescope, a pastime that never failed to calm him. Perhaps a trip to Fugue Forest would calm his unsettled mind. He needed a Fugue Mushroom anyway. Fugue Forest trips were quite pleasant, now that running into the Witch was no longer a problem. He pulled his blue sweater over his black turtleneck, and covered his head with the hood. The hood served a dual purpose; one, to keep the sunlight out of his eyes, and two, to shield his face from the villagers. Though most villagers tended to avoid him anyway, it added an extra repellant when he had his hood covering a large portion of his face.

The bright sunlight hurt his eyes, he didn't usually venture out so early in the day. He liked to wait until night time to come out of his house. Today, however, it had been unquestionably clear to him that nothing was going to be accomplished by staying in his house. He made his way down the steps in front of his house leading to Choral Clinic. If he was going to go into Fugue Forest, he was going to bring a Bodigizer with him.

The small bells that were attached to the clinic door jangled as he pushed the door open and entered the small clinic. It was a modest small clinic that only had one doctor, and the old nurse/ midwife Irene. The faded beige walls were accented by the light faded green trim. Florescent lights illuminated everything, giving the Choral Clinic a harsh sterile feel to it, which was only intensified by the abrasive old woman standing behind the counter. Old Irene always had a stern look on her face, and her ashen hair was always pulled back tightly back into a severe looking bun. She was rarely seen smiling and had a long pointy nose which most humans associated with looking like a witch. A small fact which often made him snicker, and the real Witch bristle.

"Mr Wizard, what brings you here?" Irene asked in a gruff voice.

"I need a Bodigizer," he explained. Irene simply nodded, and turned around to the cupboard behind her. The Wizard appreciated this about the old woman. When he came to the clinic he could expect a quick stoic exchange. He did not have to worry about trying to avoid any unnecessary conversations with her. Irene would give him what he needed and he could leave seconds later.

The back room of the clinic opened, and small, young girl that Wizard had never seen before stepped out. Cain the rancher, and Dr. Jin were both with her.

"I don't know what else to say about your father's death," Dr. Jin informed the young girl. "Many of the details surrounding his illness, and the illness itself is still a mystery to me."

The Wizard stared at the young girl. He instantly felt the energy he had felt earlier that day come coursing back through his body. He could see it in that moment, the resemblance to Jack. She had the same reddish brown hair, and honey colored eyes of her father, a light dusting of freckles were scattered across her petite nose. Jack had often talked of his only daughter and how she was the spitting image of him. Her face was more rounded than his had been, but she had the same angled jawline and her lips curved downward in a similar fashion to Jack's. There was no mistaking that the young girl who had just come out of the back room was Jack's daughter. He closed his eyes for moment, this could not be! Not again, not another human! Especially not Jack's daughter! He looked back at the girl, she looked no older than sixteen years old, she was smaller than Jack had been too. Her eyes turned to Wizard's and he looked quickly away, and turned back towards Irene.

"Who is that?" he heard the girl whisper to Cain.

"Oh him? He's the fortune teller. He calls himself Wizard," Cain explained. The Wizard was pleased with description he heard of himself coming out of the rancher's mouth. He preferred people think him a fortune teller rather than what a wizard. It kept people from asking too many unnecessary questions. Every once in a while he would get a human who would come into his house, asking him to read their fortune. Typically it was about matters of love and such. The Wizard would never understand human fascination with love.

But most people would leave him alone beyond that. Well except Jack, Jack had been different. He inwardly cursed thinking about Jack's young daughter standing only a few feet away from him, hoping his impression about her was wrong; at the same time knowing deep inside it wasn't.

"Mr Wizard?" Irene asked impatiently. She was tapping her foot lightly against the tiled floor of the clinic. He turned his attention back to the older woman. "That is 430g." He nodded and handed her the money from his rucksack.

"Thanks," he muttered. Grabbing the Bodigizer from Irene, he quickly left the building. He could feel the young girl's gaze on him as he left.

It wasn't until he was in the safety and solitude of the Fugue Forest that he allowed his thoughts to wander back to the small girl. Fugue Forest was a place where he could feel comfortable. The forest itself was a maze of large trees. Thick moss covered everything from bark of the tree trunks to the forest floor, and the many boulders that were scattered throughout the forest. Large vines and other greens hung in twisted fashion from the branches of trees, entangled and snared within each other. There was a distinct path that led to the Witch's house, but if one was not familiar with the Fugue Forest it was easy to get lost. Nearly all of the sunlight was blocked out of the forest by the thick canvas of leaves that were overhead. Everything was dark, and damp. It was just as the Wizard preferred.

He turned on the small battery-powered lamp he had brought with him, the small light just barely illuminating the pathway before him. As he wandered through the labyrinth of trees, he could not shake the feeling that Jack's young daughter was the one who was to continue where Jack had left off, in restoring the Goddess Tree. But it seemed impossible that any human, let alone one so tiny, could do anything to restore such a powerful tree. He had already taken a big risk getting Jack involved, he wasn't sure if he was willing to involve another human.

Lost in thought, the Wizard nearly fell backwards over a stone when he heard a loud whizzing noise in his ear. He looked around knowing that noise could only signify one thing.

"Come on out Finn!" Wizard called out. Finn Slowly came forward flapping his tiny wings. Harvest Sprites were an annoyance to the Wizard. The Harvest Goddess, however held the Harvest Sprites very near to her. She loved them more than anything else on Castanet, save the Goddess Tree itself. Finn had been created by her and the Harvest King the first time they had tried to revive Castanet.

"Wizard! Harvest Goddess sent me to find her! Harvest Goddess said that she's arrived! That there is a girl who's here to help save the Goddess Tree! I was trying to find her using thoughts and impressions but it lead me to you instead," Finn exclaimed in excitement. His tiny body was trembling, and his small face was furrowed with confusion. His face suddenly lit up with excitement. "Do YOU know who she is?"

"Calm down Finn," the Wizard replied.

"You do don't you! Who is she Wizard! Who is she? She's here to save the Goddess tree! Harvest Goddess wants me to bring the girl to her! Please Wizard tell me who she is!" Finn pleaded.

"I might know who she is."

"Then let's go! Right now! Harvest Goddess needs her! Please Wizard! Please!" Finn begged.

"Quiet!" Wizard bellowed out, and held up his hand.

"But Wizard, we have to hurry, the Goddess Tree..."

"Finn silence!" His voice reverberated through the quiet forest. Finn quickly hid himself behind a leaf of a nearby tree, peaking out timidly at the Wizard. "If it is the girl I am thinking of, I need to research first. We cannot rush forward when there's a human involved. We need to make sure we don't make the same mistakes again." Wizard's voice was stern. "Come with me." He turned back towards the path out of the forest. If this girl was going to be the one who helped revive the Goddess tree she had a lot of work and danger up ahead for her. It would also be his duty to protect her as much as possible. He needed to make sure that she was safe. He knew that his day would come eventually, but he was no longer confident in his ability to be able to protect a human.


	3. New Friendships and Dreams

After a week of grueling work, Molly with the help of Cain, Renee, and Hanna was finally able to get the farm house into a condition that was safe for her to live in. Much to her mother's dismay she had decided to stay and work on the farm. Her mother had malevolently reminded her over the phone that she knew nothing about farming. It was true, but she was determined to find out whatever she needed to know. It would be a refreshing change from the city, and she knew at this point she did not want to be around her mother at the moment. She was too angry at her from keeping her father away from her all these years. She had, however called her mother to inform her that she was not planning on coming back to the city. Molly felt that Castanet was where she belonged at the moment. It would be her first night staying in the farmhouse, and she longed to be able to stay at home, but she had promised Luna, the girl from Sonata Tailoring that she would come meet some of her friends at the Brass Bar.  
Molly stepped into the Brass Bar. It was unlike the dusty dingy bars Molly was used to frequenting in the city. It was clean, and there was no fog of smoke hanging to everything. The bar itself was like everything else in Harmonica Town had been, quaint and outdated. Molly found herself strangely appreciating it. The interior walls were lined with red bricks, and the floor was patterned with stone. Purple plaid table cloths covered the tables, and each table had dark red candles placed in the center of it. There were dark red cushioned bar stools lining the bar, and a voluptuous woman with maroon colored hair and a purple outfit, was dancing on the stage to sultry music. Molly waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness.

"Molly!" she heard the bubbly voice of Luna exclaim. "I'm so glad you came!" Luna came running up to her. For a moment Molly feared that the girl was going to hug her, but to Molly's relief she did not. Luna was even shorter than Molly, which meant she couldn't be over five foot tall, Molly standing at five foot three inches. Molly smiled at the girl. Luna was the epitome of everything that was girly. Her bright pin hair was pulled into two high pigtails tat were curled perfectly down to two points. She had flawless alabaster skin, and beautiful big blue eyes, Luna most certainly would have been the belle of the Island had it not been for her age, and her mouth. Luna was not only immature, but also very blunt. With Luna, there was no direct filter between what she thought, and what came out of her mouth.

"Thanks for the invite," Molly replied.

"Well come on!" Luna grabbed Molly's hand and practically dragged her across the bar. She brought Molly to a booth where two other people were sitting. "Molly is my sister Candace." Molly pointed to the blue haired girl who was looking rather uncomfortable.

"Hi," Candace greeted shyly. Molly stared at Luna's sister for a moment. Candace was more beautiful than Luna, if that was possible. Her long flowing blue locks were plaited into two long braids, short bangs framed her skin which looked even smoother and creamier than Luna's. Both sisters together were a sight.

"This is Gill," Luna pointed to the impeccably dressed blond sitting looking very disinterested.

"Charmed," Gill said dryly.

"Are you Gill Hamilton?" Molly asked.

"Yeah why do you ask?"

"No reason," Molly muttered. She recognized the name as the lawyer who had written her father's will. She hated lawyers. They all seemed to be the same, arrogant and conceited jerks.

"I had to practically drag Candace out here, ever since she's been in a relationship with Dr. Jin, she's acting like she's an old married woman," Luna retorted. Candace blushed.

"I- d-do not" Candace argued.

"Do too!"

The fighting ceased as the barmaid walked up to the table. The woman was a tall blonde girl who had short red fringed mini skirt and a button up blue man's shirt tied over a pitch black tube top. She had long legs and wore a pair of faded brown cowboy boots. On anyone else Molly would have thought the outfit ridiculous, but she seemed to pull it off in ease.

"Hi, I'm Kathy," the woman greeted. her voice had a pleasant drawl to it.

"Kathy! Come sit down with us!" Luna insisted.

"Ok but only for a few moments." Kathy sat in the chair crossing her impossibly long legs.

"I'm Molly," Molly greeted.

"You're Jack's daughter right?" she asked. Molly nodded. "Welcome to our humble town."

"Well this is the place to be at night," Luna said. "They used to serve a ton of food here, but the fire's just not hot enough, and Chase still has a small menu, but there's not much for him to do. He's the cook here, that's him over there." The pink haired girl pointed to a man sitting in the corner booth all by himself.

"Luna d-don't point. Th- That is rude!" Candace scolded. Luna just laughed and shrugged of her sisters chastisement. Molly's eyes followed where Luna had pointed. A man sat lazily in the corner booth, he appeared to be writing or something in some sort of notebook. Molly stifled a gasp, he was incredibly handsome. His peach colored hair was in an unruly mess around his face, three pins held back some of it, undoubtedly to keep it out of his eyes. His cheekbones were high and his face and well defined.

"Hello Molly!" Luna said waving her hand in front of Molly's face.

"Sorry I sort of zoned out there," Molly said, shaking her head.

"Yeah Chase'll do that to ya," Kathy teased lightly. "He is a hunk, I'll give him that."

"That's about as far as it goes," Luna interjected. "Beyond that he's a stick in the mud. He stays home pretty much all day. Comes to very few festivals, typically he only comes if there's cooking involved. He only gets out because he has to work, and he's rude. I think he's just kinda a drag."

"Yes," Kathy answered. "That may be Luna, but you have to admit he's a hot drag."

"Hmph," Luna answered back. "He's not nearly as hot as Calvin. And Chase doesn't even believe in the Harvest Goddess!" The last part was a whisper. Molly didn't dare tell Luna that she didn't believe in the Harvest Goddess either.

"Good Goddess Luna, you can't possibly still have a crush on Calvin," Gill stated. It was the first time he had said anything since he'd greeted Molly.

"Yes I can. Why wouldn't I? Calvin is pretty much every girl's dream. He's mysterious and adventurous, not to mention, hot!" Gill rolled his eyes.

"Luna, he's like seventeen years older than you!" Gill exclaimed.

"So what does age have to do with anything?" Luna asked sticking her tongue out at him.

"Yeah, keep doing stuff like that, show him how much of an adult you really are," Gill muttered. Molly couldn't help but laugh at the statement.

"Oh there he is!" Luna squealed. "I'm gonna go talk to him!" Luna jumped up and skip-stepped over the man who had just walked in. Molly couldn't see his face since it was covered with cowboy hat.

"Calvin's definitely interesting, and Chase is hot, but Luke, the carpenter's son, now that is someone I would like to get close to," Kathy drawled. "Have you met him yet?"

"Yes, he's engergetic," Molly mused.

"Luke is the funniest person I know," Kathy said.

"What about you Gill? Any special girl in your life?" Molly asked. Kathy laughed at the question. The silver haired boy glared at the blonde.

"Oh Molly honey, isn't it obvious, Gill's had a crush on Luna for as long as I can remember!" Kathy stated. A low growling noise came from Gills throat. Molly chuckled."Well kids I gotta get back up to make my rounds again, hopefully this time I don't get fondled by Owen." Kathy made a face, and the sauntered away from the table.  
Molly stepped outside of the bar for a moment for a little bit of peace and quiet. It had gotten louder in the bar as the night progressed. She leaned agains the side of the building closed her eyes and inhaled deeply.

* * *

"That bad huh" a gruff voice asked. She looked up to see the peach haired cook standing leaning against the wall with a casualness that Molly envied. Standing next to him she could see how tall he really was. He was easily over a foot taller than her. Bathed in the light of the street lamp, she could see his features more clearly than in the dark bar. He regarded her with large eyes that were a stunning shade of violet, He his thin lips were turned down in a frown, and his face had the distinct markings of a five o'clock shadow. Molly caught herself staring and looked away.

"I..well.. it was just a little too loud in there. Needed a break. What are you doing out here?" She asked.

"Same thing you are taking a break."

"Is the entire population of Harmonica Town in there?" Molly asked.

"Just about," Chase stated. "You're taking over the farm right?"

"That would be correct."

"That place is a mess," Chase stated. "You think a tiny thing like you can handle it.

"Yes," Molly stated, standing up straighter. It was no good even though he was still leaning against the wall she still had to look up at him to look him in the eye.

"Good luck with that," Chase replied facetiously. He paused once again his eyes passing over her small frame. Molly felt as if he'd just caressed her. Chase glanced down at his watch. "Anyway break's over, I gotta get back in there." Chase turned around and walked back into the bar.

"Wow he's real friendly," Molly mused sarcastically, and followed Chase back inside.

* * *

Wizard watched the exchange between the girl and the cook. He was watching from a safe distance. He had been walking back home from the beach when he saw her step out of the Bar. He stood safely in the shadows of the Fishery's large awning. He was good at reading people, and he could clearly see her as she was directly in the light of the nearby streetlight. He could also see her attraction to the cook. The exchange only lasted a few moments. Perhaps he would go back to the bar closer to 23:30 when most of the people were gone. He didn't go to places like the bar very often, but he wanted to try to find as much out about this girl has he could. He had already found out that she was the daughter of the one human he had grown to respect, Jack. It made a little more sense that she would be the one to save Castanet. Jack had done a lot for Castanet when he first showed up. In fact he had been one of the first humans to settle on Castanet. It had grown much since then, boomed into a nice farming and mining Island. Some days Wizard missed the times when he and the Witch had the island to themselves. The Witch had managed to stay secluded, because her home was in the middle of Fugue Forest. However, Harmonica Town had been built right around Wizard's home. He gradually got used to the noise of the town. If he were being honest, he was starting to enjoy being around people. He still kept his distance though. While he did not mind being around humans, he certainly didn't want to get close to one. He had been reluctant to even let Jack as close as he had. Even with Jack he had kept a safe distance. He had watched the Witch, in her many escapades throughout the years with humans, and learned that they were trouble. It had been part of the reason they had moved to Castanet in the first place, at the time it had been secluded.

* * *

Wizard returned to the Brass Bar, it had quieted down, he could no longer hear any of the loud music playing. Most of the people would have gone back to their respective houses by now. He silently entered the bar, and to his surprise the girl was still sitting at a table. She was in a low conversation with the blonde bar maid. The blacksmith's apprentice was also still there, but he typically would stay until the bar closed. He made his way up the bar, where the cook was now standing. At this time of night the owner was back in the back room, which Wizard knew from past experiences. Now to the difficult task, of getting the cook to talk about the girl without making his interest too obvious.

"What would you like?" Chase asked. The cook had never been overly friendly, which Wizard had usually been grateful for, but tonight he needed information.

"Just a coffee please." Chase nodded and turned to the coffee pot. "Busy night tonight?" Wizard asked.

"Yes. Everyone wanted to meet the new girl. Apparently everyone knew she was coming in." Thanks to Luna, Chase thought. Human curiosity, Wizard mused to himself. He needed to figure out which angle to proceed with this conversation.

"The new girl?" He asked.

"Yeah, She's Jack, the farmer's daughter," Chase responded. Wizard considered his next sentence. Chase almost talked as little as himself.

"How long she been here?"Wizard asked, even thought he already knew exactly when she had arrived. Chase shrugged.

"Bout a week I think." This was not working. Chase was not the type of person who talked.

"Lot of fuss over a girl."

"Yeah you're telling me," Chase scoffed, but something in the tone of his voice betrayed that the cook wasn't as indifferent to the girl as he was trying to sound. That could work to Wizard's advantage. "Everyone is so fascinated because she's Jack's daughter. But there did not seem to be anything spectacular in her to me."

"You've spoken with her?" Wizard asked, once again knowing the answer.

"Briefly." Chase answered. "She was very timid. Seemed almost overwhelmed." Chase then decided he was done with the conversation, he turned around and started to clean up around the bar. Wizard was fine with that, because the conversation was getting too long for comfort anyway. He continued drinking his coffee in silence.

* * *

Molly's eyes flew open as she sat straight up in bed. Her heart was beating fast and she was sweating. She had faint recollection of the dream she'd just woken up from. She looked around her bedroom. The moonlight was shining in casting a silvery glow on everything. The dark shadows were of the trees outside her windows appeared to be dancing across the silvery walls. She closed her eyes trying to recall tidbits of the dream. The only thing Molly could remember is the blue eyes staring at her, and a low thick voice pleading for her help. She could not recall the rest of his face, but she could clearly see the blue eyes, with the small white tattoo just under the right one. Molly rubbed her face with both her hands. Why was her heart pounding so fast? She plopped her head back onto the pillow almost afraid to fall back asleep. She was not sure why a dream had caused her to react in such a way. Molly's eyes slowly grew heavier as she drifted back to sleep, back into the dream...

_She was surrounded by a dense fog. The man was no longer standing before her. She was instead surrounded by thick green plants, and little flashes of lights kept beaming in front of her face. She looked through the fog and saw a glowing figure in the distance. She could barely make out the woman standing in the distance. She had thick flowing green hair, and appeared to have wings. _

_"Molly" The woman called out. "Please help!" Molly went to take a step forward towards the woman, but she the ground beneath her had become soft, and she was sinking. She started struggling against the soft ground, but the more she struggled, the father she seemed to sink. The woman continued to stand in the distance calling her name. Molly felt panic grip her, as she felt herself start to sink even faster._

_She felt a hand grab her arm roughly, and pull her out of the sinking ground. She looked up to see who her savior was, but she couldn't see his face. She could only see the same blue eyes she had seen before, and that small white tattoo. She felt herself being lifted up and placed on a rock. She turned to thank the man who had rescued her, but he was gone. She saw a bright orange light emanating out of the sky, she could feel a powerful presence start to surround her. Something about the presence simultaneously frightened and intrigued Molly. She scampered off the rock and ducked behind it, she felt a hand against her back. When she turned she was staring into the clear blue yes of her rescuer. _

* * *

The alarm was blaring when Molly finally opened her eyes. She stared at her clock it was six fifteen, which meant that she had slept for fifteen minutes while her alarm had been going off. Molly closed her eyes and reopened them, not quite sure if she was still dreaming. The clock still said the same time. She hit the off button, and sat for a moment in shock. Molly was the type of person to wake up at the slightest sound or movement. She had never before slept through an alarm. Once again the dream she just had escaped her memory, except for the blue eyed man. Molly briefly wondered if she was going insane with grief. She had heard of people who were so overwhelmed with grief they created little worlds for themselves. Was that what she was doing? Who was this mysterious man she had seen in her dreams?

Molly decided to push the dream aside, and get started for the day. She still had a lot of work to do on the farm, before her field would be ready to plant crops in the fall. She carefully cut up an apple for breakfast as she waited for her Herbal Tea to warm up. Life on the farm was so different than in the city. She heard birds chirping outside, and there was no noise from traffic. It was a nice refreshing change. She finished her modest breakfast, then changed into jeans and a large t shirt and headed outside to start work.

In the fields Molly found herself struggling with the large overgrown weeds. It seemed as if the weeds that she had pulled out the night before had grown right back again. She threw the weeds into the wheelbarrow next to her as she pulled them out. The image of those bright blue eyes seemed to fill her head, as she absently pulled out the weeds. Try as she may, the only thing she could recall from her dream was his eyes. She wondered why she was trying to recall the dream at all. It had been just a dream, hadn't it? Somehow Molly had not felt that way. She had felt as if the dream had a more significant meaning to it. She could not shake the feeling that it was something that she was supposed to remember. She continued to struggle with the weeds while the hot sun beat down on her. It was hard work, and every hour or so, Molly had to wheel the wheelbarrow overgrown field near the back of her farm.

Molly looked up from her work to see Cain, Renee, and Hanna walking over to her. She had been working on the field for quite some time now, and had managed to clear away a nice little patch. She was proud of her work, and proud of herself at the moment.

"Well hello there niece!" Cain called out. Molly smiled back at him and waved. Cain very rarely used her name, and usually just called her niece. Molly was of the opinion that it was because Cain had not been able to say that for twelve years.

"Hello," Molly greeted when they finally approached her.

"We're headed up to Ocarina Inn for some dinner, how about you come join us?" Hanna asked.

"Dinner?" Molly asked. "What time is it?"

"It's about 18:00," Cain informed. Molly gasped. She had been working in the field all day long, without stopping. She had not even stopped for a lunch break.

"Yeah sure thing. Do you mind if I meet you there? I'd like to get cleaned up a little first," Molly replied.

"Sure thing," Cain answered. The trio left Molly and continued West towards Harmonica Town. She went into her house to make herself more presentable.

Walking into the Inn, Molly collided with the person walking out. The man dropped the package in his hands.

"I'm so sorry," Molly mumbled, they both bent down to reach for the package. She looked up at him, and into his crystal clear blue eyes and gasped. This was the man from her dream. He even had the small white tattoo under his eye, it was accentuated by his dark skin. She recognized him as the fortune teller she had seen in the clinic the other day. Her eyes widened as they both slowly stood up. Molly handed him the package she had picked up.

"Thank you," he said. "Sorry but I must be going." The man quickly grabbed the package from her hands and exited the Inn. Molly stood in shock for a moment. Why had she dreamed about the fortune teller. Had she seen his tattoo the other day at the clinic? She could not recall because his face had been covered by his hood.

"Molly!" Hanna called out. Molly turned towards the sound of her aunt's voice. She snapped out of her thoughts and walked over to join her family for dinner. Throughout dinner, Molly had difficulties concentrating. She kept thinking of the fortune teller. She had dreamt about him in such detail it frightened her. She was certain that she had not been able to see that small tattoo when they'd been in the clinic! As early as she could, she made her excuses to leave. The rest stayed behind to chat a bit before they began their long journey back to Horn Ranch.

Molly nervously made her way up the stops towards the house of the fortune teller. She stood at the door for moment. She was unsure what she was even going to say to the man at this point. She knocked on the door with her trembling hand. Why was she so frightened? There was no response to her first knock, so she knocked again and waited; still nothing. She gingerly tried the doorknob but it was locked. Dismayed she turned around and started walking back to her farm.

* * *

He had not liked the look of recognition and shock that he had seen on the young girl's face. There was also a mixture of fear in the look she had given him. Did she knew he had been observing her? Did she know who he was? That was impossible. She had only seen him once, maybe twice. Neither one of those encounters could explain the look that had come across her face. He dropped the coffee he had bought at the Inn at his house. He needed to go find some answers. He went back to Ocarina Inn and peeked through the window, the girl was sitting with Cain the Rancher and his family. Good, he needed to spend some time at her farm alone.

He felt invasive being on her property without her there. he stood in the middle of her field soaking up feelings and impressions. From the looks of it, she had been working in the field earlier that day. He could only catch glimpses of what she had been thinking about. She had been thinking about him, specifically the small white wizard's mark he had under his right eye. Why had she been thinking about that? He wondered what would make this small farm girl think of a detail such as that. He could feel her walking towards the farm before he saw her. He quickly hid among some trees that were growing on the edge of the field. The sun had started to set and dusk had settled in. He had not realized how much time had gone past, but that was typical when he was working. He watched as the girl walked up to her house. She looked crestfallen, as she slowly turned the key into her knob. She paused before she walked in. Her head turned in his direction. He froze. Could she see him? He did not dare move a muscle, and continued to watch as the young girl just shook her head and walked into the house. He quickly ducked behind he back of barn in case she decided to come back out of her house again, and waited. He did not think she would come out of the house, or at least to the back of the barn at this hour, but just in case he ducked behind a couple of old barrels.

He waited for a few minutes and was about to emerge when he heard the door open again. He listened intently to see if she was going to leave her farm again, but it sounded like the steps were coming even closer to him. He sat as still as he could behind the barrels, and peered through a crack. What in Goddess' name was she doing at this hour? He saw her walking towards the hot spring in the back of her property, she had a towel wrapped around her. He felt strange being there, watching her in this almost intimate moment, when she thought she was alone.

As she unwrapped the towel from her body, he looked away. She had been wearing a bathing suit, but he still felt it was inappropriate for him to be watching. A few minutes later, he looked back. and she was mostly submerged in the hot spring. The light glow from the water was illuminating her face. Her eyes were closed as she rested her head gently against one of the rocks. She was actually quite lovely for a human, he found himself thinking. Wizard slowly eased himself from from behind the barrels being careful to not knock any of them over. He crept slowly in the shadows of the barn, and when he was out of her sight, quickly left the farmyard, and retreated for the safety of his own home.

* * *

_She stood on an empty road, she could hear the voice of the same woman as before calling for help in the distance. She knew by the sound of the voice, that it was the beautiful woman with green hair calling her. _

_"Molly!" Another voice called. Off in the distance she could see him; the fortune teller, the Wizard. He was standing off in the distance on the road ahead of her. His piercing blue eyes were staring at her. She was staring back. _

_"Molly!" He called out once again, then disappeared into the night._

She continued to have dreams of the fortune teller for the rest of the night, waking up periodically. In all her dreams she could see his blue gaze on her, except this time she saw something lurking in those blue eyes that she was not sure what to think of. It was a mixture of concern and fear. What was it that this man feared? And why was he calling out for her?


	4. Jack's Journal

**Note: This is a shorter chapter, but I felt like this needed to stand alone as it's own chapter instead of being combined with another one. So anyway hope you are enjoying the rewrite :) I also felt that there needed to more delving into how her father had started the process and why she was chosen to save the island, to finish what her father started.  
**

Molly nearly collapsed on the small couch. It had been another long, grueling day of work. Clearing away the field was a slow process that seemed to be taking forever. She had planned on going to Harmonica Town again, to see if she could talk to the fortune teller, but she was too tired to move from the couch at the moment. She would have to wait until tomorrow to go see him. She had pushed herself too hard today, she groaned wondering why she had decided to try to take out the stumps today. Her arms were still sore from working with the old axe that the carpenter's son had given her.

A soft knocking sound filled the room. Molly groaned. She really did not want to anything tonight; and she feared it might be Luna here to drag her to the Brass Bar. It had been a few nights since she had last been there. She eased herself off the couch and slowly slumped over to the door. To her surprise it was not Luna standing in her doorway, but the Wizard.

Hello," Molly greeted. She stared at him for a moment unable to believe he was standing before her.

"May I come in?" he asked. She stepped back timidly in response. She was still trying to formulate the words she wanted to say to him in her brain. "I am the Wizard, I live here in Harmonica Town. But you know this don't you?"

"I knew you lived here," Molly answered slowly. "What is your name?"

"You may call me Wizard," he responded. Molly stood inches away from the man she had seen in her dreams, unable to think properly.

"You're the fortune teller right?"

"Not exactly. I am a wizard. But most people think I am a fortune teller."

"So, why are you here?" Molly asked. Her guest looked into her eyes, she saw the same look she had seen in her dream, concern. "I'm sorry that was rude."

"No it wasn't. As to why I am here, it may take a while, you may want to sit down." He indicated towards the table. Molly walked over and sat down, the Wizard followed suit.

"Is there anything I can get you?" Molly asked.

"Have any coffee?"

"At this hour? No, but I can make you some."

"No need. I need to tell you why I am here."

"Yes that would be nice," Molly sighed. The Wizard paused, and it was clear to Molly that he was struggling to find the right words to say.

"I need your help. Well actually the Harvest Goddess needs our help. The Goddess Tree is dying, and that is why Castanet is slowly deteriorating."

"Oh seriously, please don't tell me you buy into the whole Harvest Goddess thing," Molly groaned.

"The Harvest Goddess exists, I have seen her. She lives in the Goddess Spring, up near Garmon Mines." Molly stared at the man, still not believing all that he said. She had never been one to believe in the existence of the Harvest Goddess. Her father had believed, it had been evident in the letters he had written to her all these years. Molly saw a flash of her dream and she suddenly remembered seeing the woman with long flowing green hair and wings.

"What, what does the Goddess look like?" Molly asked slowly.

"Beautiful long flowing green hair, she wears a silky light blue dress, she has wings, and glows a natural warm light," the Wizard explained. Molly gasped. He had just described the woman from her dreams. She looked away from the Wizard and his intense gaze to the darkness outside her window.

"I've seen her, in my dreams" Molly whispered. She slowly turned her head to face him again. "You too." He was shocked by the revelation.

"She needs your help."

"Why me?" Molly asked.

"I don't know," Wizard sighed. "I wish I knew the reasons why. All I know is that you are the one that can revive the Goddess tree."

"What will happen if I don't?" Molly asked.

"The Goddess Tree will die, along with it the Island, and the Goddess will be banished from the land, she will no longer be able to watch over the land as she does. And I do not know if she will ever be able to come back to help humans. I need your help Molly, All of Castanet does. But again it will not be easy. It will even be dangerous at times. But of you agree to help. I am here to help you, to protect you."

Molly stared at the man before her tying to wrap her head around what he was asking her to do.

"That is all, I will leave you to make your decision. My house is above Choral Clinic. Come let me know what you decide" Wizard got up from the table and walked towards the door.

"If I say no, will people die?"

"Probably," Wizard answered, and with that he took his leave. Molly stared at flower-print table cloth that Hanna had given her, feeling for the first time in her life helpless. Harvest Goddess, Goddess Tree, Wizards? It all sounded like a fairy tale. She didn't know whether to believe or not.

* * *

Wizard walked slowly to his house. It had been hard for him to speak with the young girl. He had never been very good at talking to people anyway. It was even harder for him to ask a human for help. He had not wanted to get a human involved. When Jack had started, he had burst into the Wizard's house demanding that he explain the dreams, and then asking what he needed to do to save Castanet. He knew she would be having dreams too. It was happening because of his research. She told him that she had seen him in her dreams. It explained the look that had crossed her face the night before at the Inn.

His research consisted of reaching into the inner recesses of a person's thoughts and impressions, of course doing this he would always leave marks behind, causing the dreams that she was so vividly getting. He knew that her dreams would be just as realistic as Jack's had been.

He opened the door to his house and was nearly assaulted by Finn. For such a small being, he sure was nuisance!

"Can I go to her now?" Finn begged.

"No, not yet, she needs to make her decision.

"But-"

"No Finn!" Wizard asserted. It was firm enough to stop the Harvest Sprite from asking further. "She needs to make the decision on her own." Finn settled himself back onto Wizard's desk. Wizard walked slowly up the stairs in his house to his telescope. He was feeling too unsettled to do any further work or research on saving the Island. There was nothing further he could do anyway until the girl finally made up her mind.

* * *

Molly paced back and forth across her living room floor, thinking about everything the Wizard had told her. It seemed impossible that all of what he was saying was true. Was she really supposed to help save Castanet? Did the Harvest Goddess really exist? Her mother had told her long ago that believing in the Harvest Goddess was simply ridiculous and that it had been a fairy tale made up by the people who lived in Castanet. Molly had believed her mother, but could there really be a Harvest Goddess?

Molly's eye caught something sticking out from underneath the cushion of the bench near her back window. She slowly walked over and lifted the cushion up. Underneath it was an old dusty book. She pulled the book out from it's hiding place, and gently wiping off some of the dust, opened the cover. Inside she saw "Jack's Journal" written on the first page. Her eyes widened. Her father had kept a journal? Her fingers trembling with excitement, she turned to the first page and started reading.

**_I have decided to keep a journal of things, just in case these dreams I have been having are significant. I cannot explain these dreams that well, or even the feeling that I get when I awake. All I know is that I when I awake from these dreams my heart is racing, and I am sweating. Sometimes I am gripped with a fear that is unmistakable. The fortune teller is often in them, and a lady with long green hair, and wings. I wonder if this is the Harvest Goddess? Am I lucky enough to be having visions of the Harvest Goddess? When I first started having these dreams, I figured they were just that, dreams. But I am starting to wonder if they could be more. I plan on going to the fortune teller tomorrow. If anyone will know about whether or not the dreams are just dreams it is probably going to be him. I cannot help but wonder if this has anything to do with the soil in the land not producing the same quality of products as it used to. Or the fact that the island just appears to be slowly getting worse. All I know is that these dreams are haunting my sleep. I have not been able to get a good night's sleep now for two weeks. If something significant is happening with Castanet, I want to know. This is my home. I love it here._**

**_I also wonder if these dreams are just the manifestations of a lonely man looking for something more in his life. Maybe it is just hitting me even harder that Molly and Claire are gone. I have been thinking about Molly a lot lately. More so than usual. So maybe I am just trying to find anything to try to fill that void that I feel in my heart. I don't know, either way I hope to find out tomorrow. After talking to the fortune teller._**

**_Jack_**

Molly contemplated the words written in the journal. Her father it appeared, had the same dreams she'd been having. She flipped open to the next page, hungrily taking in the words of her father. She felt as if reading these personal thoughts of his brought him closer to her. She learned that the Wizard had also explained to him about the dying Goddess Tree and the Harvest Goddess. The entries she read also mentioned her many times, he often spoke about how much he missed Molly. She felt the anger rising again, why had her mother kept her from him all these years?

She yawned feeling the weariness start to overtake her. She longed to read more in the journal, but for now she needed some rest. She wanted to do some more research on the Harvest Goddess anyway, before she made her decision. Tomorrow she decided she would go to Celesta Church and visit Perry the priest


	5. Molly's Decision

_**I have seen the Harvest Goddess with my own eyes! It is an experience that I never thought I would ever get to experience in my entire life! She was even more glorious in person than in my dreams. She told me today about the bells. How they are scattered and I need to find them. I can do that. I can find the bells. If that is all it takes to save Castanet, I am more than willing to help. I still cannot believe that I was able to see the Harvest Goddess in person! All these years I believed she existed, and I never imagined that I would ever be worthy enough to see her. What an amazing and glorious sight it was. To describe it would be impossible, and possibly even wrong. It is an experience I will never forget about for the rest of my days.**_

_**I talked again to the Wizard after I went to see the Harvest Goddess. He is going to help me. I get the feeling that he is more attached to this Island than he lets on. Even though he is reclusive and sticks to himself, he sure has a lot invested in saving the Harvest Goddess, and Castanet. He told me today of the Harvest King. I had never heard of the Harvest King before, only the Harvest Goddess. I wonder if the Harvest King is as glorious as the Harvest Goddess is.**_

_**Saving the Island is going to be difficult, but I love this Island and I would do anything for it. This is my home.**_

_**Jack**_

"The Harvest Goddess lives!" Perry shouted with conviction. "She is in our hearts, and our minds. She watches over us!" Molly stood in front of the priest who was preaching from behind the pulpit.

"Yes, but I was wondering if you could tell me more about her?" Molly asked. She had not come to Celesta Church for sermon, but for more information on Harvest Goddess.

"She is kind and loving. She is a deity that cares for us!" Molly sighed, she was not getting anywhere with the priest.

"Yes, I understand that, but what does she look like do you know?"

"No human knows what the Harvest Goddess looks like!" Perry exclaimed. "No human has seen the Harvest Goddess!"

"Are you sure?" Molly asked.

"The Goddess is a deity, why would she show herself to a mere human?" Perry asked. "I mean sure it's possible, but as far as I know, no human as had any interaction with her."

"What about the Harvest King?" Molly asked.

"There is no Harvest King, only the Goddess. To speak of another deity is blasphemy!" Perry shouted.

"I do not mean to blasphemous sir, I am merely just looking for information."

"If you want information look here!" Perry pointed to his chest. "It's inside your heart my dear!" Molly was starting to get frustrated with this conversation that seemed to be going nowhere. They were talking in circles and Perry was aggravating. He was not giving her any tangible information about the Harvest Goddess.

"Sir, I don't mean to be impatient with you, but is there anything useful you can tell me about the Goddess?" Molly asked.

"Everything I am telling you is useful! You must believe in the Harvest Goddess. Perhaps that is why the Island is the way it is, because people are starting to lose faith. They are not continually thanking her. You must thank her daily. We as an Island need to give her offerings of our Harvest as we used to!" Perry replied. Molly signed once again. It was clear she was not going to get any more information on the Harvest Goddess from Perry.

"Sir, I thank you for your time, but I really must get going," Molly said.

"Young lady do you believe in the Harvest Goddess?" Perry asked. Molly was taken aback by the question it was not one she had expected him to ask.

"I- I don't know," Molly answered back honestly.

"You should! Your father was an avid believer in the Harvest Goddess! He would come here every Sunday! Never missed once," Perry replied. Perry came down from behind the pulpit and grabbed Molly's hands. His chocolate colored eyes bore into hers. "You are always welcome here. Please feel free to come whenever you have questions about the Goddess. You should come on Sunday."

"Thank you," Molly said quietly, disentangling her hands from his. She quickly slipped out of the Celesta Church, relieved to get away from Perry's seemingly all knowing gaze. She needed to find out more about the Harvest Goddess. She walked slowly down the walk into Harmonica Town, perhaps there would be some books in the Town Hall.

Gill was sitting behind the desk at Town Hall reading a book, he looked up when she entered; a look of mild indifference was on his face.

"What did you need today?" he asked.

"Do you know anything about the Harvest Goddess?" Molly asked.

"Supposedly she's a deity that watches over us and lives in the Harvest Spring," Gill replied nonchalantly. Molly felt her frustration start to rise again.

"Anything beyond common knowledge?" Molly asked, forcing a calm into her voice that she didn't feel. Gill shrugged.

"There may be some stuff about her in one of those books over there," He pointed to a bookshelf on his left.

"Thank you," Molly stated, and knelt down by the book shelf. Gill continued to read his book.

"She probably doesn't exist you know," Gill called over to her without looking up from the book he was reading. Molly ignored his comment, and continued to look through the book shelves.

After about twenty minutes Molly found a book that contained a whole section on the Harvest Goddess. She stood up.

"Can I take this home with me?" Molly asked.

"As long as you return it," Gill replied glancing up for a second, then retuning to his book. Molly thanked him then walked out of the Town Hall with the book in her hand. She ran into Chase walking by the Town Hall, presumably on his way to the Brass Bar for work.

"Hi," Molly greeted.

"Hello," Chase answered, looking slightly annoyed, but he stopped regardless. He looked down at the rather large book in her hand. "What have you got there?"

"Oh, it's a book on the History of Castanet," Molly explained.

"History?" Chase asked with a quizzical look.

"Well, I am researching the Harvest Goddess," she replied. Chase scoffed.

"She doesn't exist. Are you saying you actually believe that old wive's tale?"

"I don't know what I believe anymore," Molly stated honestly.

"Well if you are looking into the Harvest Goddess, you are wasting your time," Chase answered. "But whatever, it's your time to waste." He nodded slightly then continued his walk towards the Brass Bar.

"What is it with the men on this island?" Molly asked herself. The men she had encountered had either been extraordinarily rude or really extremely excitable.

"Molly!" Molly turned, Mayor Hamilton was running towards her, if you could call it running. Mayor Hamilton was an unfortunate looking man who was about as round as he was tall. He was always dressed impeccably just like his son. However, it was cancelled out by his hair that was slightly reminiscent of a mullet, and the rounded nose. Molly found it difficult to take the man seriously.

"Mayor Hamilton," Molly greeted stiffly.

"How is life on this island treating you?" he asked cheerily.

"Fine thanks," Molly answered anxious to get home and start reading the book in her hands.

"Well now, I assume you are all settled in?" Hamilton asked jovially. He stepped closer to Molly. She was uncomfortable with his proximity to her. There was something almost sinister that seemed to be lurking under the smiling face, and Molly did not quite trust the Mayor. Then again there were few people Molly ever felt that she could trust.

"Yes," Molly replied, slowly backing away from the mayor.

"Wonderful! Well Gill and I would be honored with the pleasure of your company this Sunday for dinner," he stated. Molly repressed the urge to groan. It was not exactly an evening she was looking forward to, but she did not want to be rude.

"Okay," she agreed.

"Fantastic does 16:00 work for you?" Molly nodded. "We shall see you then!"

"Thanks," she mumbled, and turn to walk back to her home, hoping there were no more interruptions.

* * *

The Wizard was once again staring into his telescope, it had been three days since he had gone to ask Molly for her help. She had not come yet with her answer. He did not blame her, it was a lot for any human to take, much less a young girl. He certainly was not going to push her into helping Castanet, he knew what dangers lay ahead waiting for her, they were the same dangers that her father had faced. Finn was laying around depressed. He heard a soft knock on the door, he knew immediately it was her.

"Enter!" he called out. He turned around to see Molly standing in his doorway. Slowly he walked down the steps towards the small girl. She looked nervous, and unsure, but he knew she had made her up mind about what she was going to do.

"I've made my decision," she stated. Her voice was steadier than he had expected it to be.

"Yes I know."

"Can you read minds?" she asked.

"I can read feelings and impressions. Sometimes I can read thoughts, but not always minds," he explained.

"Oh," Molly looked down at the floor. "I will help." Her voice was not much more than a whisper, but it was all that he needed.

"Thank you."

"What do I need to do?" She asked.

"You first need to go to the Harvest Goddess, she lives in a spring the path is located between the General store and the Carpenters. She will give you instructions. The path is guarded by forest animals. If you go in wearing this they will let you through." He pulled out of his pocket a beautiful crystal that shone the color of a brilliant sunset, with purples, oranges, and reds intertwined beautifully. It hung on a small silver chain. He stepped closer to Molly and placed the chain around her neck. "You will need this for many things, do not leave your house without it around your neck. It is best to not take it off at all. It will help protect you. It will also help me to know when you are in danger. It is a very powerful crystal." Molly's eyes widened again. He felt a twinge of sympathy for the girl. She lifted the crystal in her hand, and stared at it.

"What else will it do?"

"I will tell you more about it later." Wizard moved closer. "However, you also should not let anyone else see that you have it. Keep it hidden under your clothing at all times. It will stay close to you, so you don't have to worry about it coming out." He lifted the chain and slipped the crystal under her shirt. She gasped, the slight movement caused his fingers to brush against her neck. He quickly pulled his hand away. There was an unmistakable, unrecognizable heat creeping into his face, he wasn't sure he liked the feeling.

"It feels warm," Molly mused.

"That's natural," Wizard explained, finally regaining his composure. "Tomorrow morning go see the Harvest Goddess, it is too dangerous at night. There are the evil sprites and other sorts of evils that lurk near the path at night. Oh and I almost forgot..." He turned towards the desk where Finn had surprisingly been patiently waiting.

"This is Finn." He pointed to the desk. Molly turned her head, at first she didn't see anything. But then she saw him, as he flew up in the air. A small fairy dressed in orange, wearing an orange hat. "He is a Harvest Sprite. He will also be around to help you." Molly nodded, still a bit shocked.

"Can others see him?" Molly asked. Wizard shook his head.

"Not that I know of." Finn took his place flying next to Molly's shoulder. Wizard watched as they became more familiar with each other. He had mixed emotions of happiness and worry. He knew she was the one who needed to help save Castanet, but he was worried about his ability to be able to protect a human.


	6. Off the Goddess Path

Molly lay awake in bed unable to calm her mind. She kept thinking about the Wizard, the Harvest Goddess and her dreams. She glanced over to the window sill by her bed where Finn was sleeping soundly in the makeshift bed she had made for him. Wondering if she really was going crazy, she sighed deeply. Seeing Harvest Sprites, talking to wizards, this was certainly not the behavior of a sane person. To top it all off she was supposedly going to go to the Goddess Spring tomorrow to visit this mysterious Harvest Goddess. Molly's mind was whirling with information. She had tried to do her own research on the Harvest Goddess, but the book that she'd taken from the town hall had been about as useless as Perry. However, she was not sure if she could believe the words the Wizard had told her.

Molly brought her hand up to the crystal resting on her chest. When it had first touched her skin she felt a small jolt. It had caused her to gasp, but it hadn't been painful. It had just startled her. In fact it made her feel more energized. It had made her second guess her opinions about the Wizard. Perhaps he was not just the fortune teller that everyone in the town thought he was. She could feel the crystal against her skin, it radiated almost a warmth. It didn't move around, it was if some strange force kept it in place. It would be easy to conceal, as Wizard had advised. She had no problem keeping that order. She did not want other people to see it, they would be sure to ask where she procured such a beautiful crystal.

Molly heard a loud knocking on the door. She groaned looking at the clock. Who in the world would be coming to visit her at midnight? She grabbed the robe that was draped over her bedpost, and wandered out into her living room. Her feet made soft muffled noises against the cold hardwood floor. She could hear giggling outside the door, that suspiciously sounded like Luna. She opened the door expecting to see the pink haired girl, and instead Chase stood in her doorway. He looked chagrined with his hands in his apron pockets.

"Hey.." He greeted.

"Chase?" Molly said. "I could have sworn I heard Luna."

"You did, I was walking her home, and she saw your house and came running up to knock on the door. She just passed out seconds before you opened the door." Molly looked on the ground and saw Luna slumped over leaned up against her door frame. Molly frowned. What had happened. Luna had a strong dislike for Chase, and Chase had a strong dislike for, well, everyone. "She's drunk."

"I can see that." Molly bent down to try to wake up the sleeping girl. "Luna! Wake up!" She gently shook her shoulders, but Luna was out cold. "Help me get her to my couch."

She and Chase both easily lifted the small girl up onto the couch. In the light of her house she could see that Luna had clearly been crying. Molly looked up at Chase suspiciously, she would grill him about that in a minute, right now she had to take care of her friend. She went to retrieve a blanket from her bedroom. When she emerged she saw Chase in the kitchen making something, and Luna was softly moaning on the couch. This was not what Molly needed tonight. She needed sleep. She had planned on trying to get up early so she would be able to see the Harvest Goddess. She bent down to cover Luna with the blanket.

"Why is he such a jerk to me?" Luna asked in a barely audible moan.

"Shhh," Molly soothed, gently brushing Luna's hair back away from her face. Chase had come beside her with a cup of something. "What is that?"

"It's Pontana root tea, it'll help her, it will stay off some of the effects of the hangover she's going to have in the morning, and it will also keep her from getting too sick from the alcohol. It's supposedly supposed to help sober a person up." Chase shrugged. "I don't believe it does. But it will help with the headache she will have tomorrow."

"Luna, sit up, for a minute. Drink this."

"No,"Luna moaned, but sat up anyway. She woke just long enough to drink the tea, and then promptly laid her head back down to sleep.

"Just what the hell happened?" Molly turned her gaze to Chase's.

"Hell if I know," Chase muttered back. "I was walking home from work and found her on the pathway between your house and Flute Fields, sitting on the ground mumbling something about guys and jerks. I was trying to get her back home."

"Oh. Sorry I thought maybe you'd..." She stopped. What exactly had she thought?

"Maybe I had what?" Chase asked his eyes narrowing. Even angry He looked handsome.

"Nothing, never mind. She's probably not going to go anywhere for the evening," Molly sighed. Chase was still looking at her with narrow eyes, but then must have decided to let it go.

"Yeah probably not. I should be getting home though."

"Yeah, ok. That's fine. I'll make sure she gets taken care of." Molly sighed. She had been hoping to get to the Harvest Goddess Spring in the morning, but she could not ignore Luna's condition.

"Sorry," Chase muttered. "I know you didn't expect this." With that Chase turned to go out the door. Molly padded to her bedroom to try to get some sleep for the night.

* * *

The alarm blared too soon. Molly's hand reached over to turn the alarm off. She lay in bed for a moment closing her eyes.

"Molly! We have to go visit the Harvest Goddess today!" A voice shouted near her ear. Molly sat quickly up her heart beating faster. She looked around confused in the morning fog. Who was in her room? She then remembered, Finn.

"Finn, calm down," Molly sighed. This little harvest sprite was going to take a while to get used to. She could not help but feel a little bit crazy. She never really believed in anything spiritual or magical. Unlike her father who had obviously been a believer in the Harvest Goddess. But even after all that she had seen, it was still hard for her to believe in a Harvest Goddess. She was not quite sure that everything that she was experiencing was not just a figment of and overactive imagination and grief over losing her father. She had heard that sometimes people created little worlds for themselves when they were grieving, perhaps the same was happening to her.

"But..."

"Finn!" Molly interrupted. She was feeling excessively tired after the previous night's escapades with Luna and Chase. Molly forced herself out of bed to tend to Luna.

"I'm so sorry," Luna groaned, holding her head in her hands. She was sitting at the table with Molly for breakfast.

"What exactly happened last night?" Molly asked.

"I got drunk," Luna explained.

"I can see that," Molly said sarcastically.

"Ha ha."

"I'm sorry Luna, what really happened last night? Why were you walking out so late?" Luna looked down at the table ashamed. Molly waited silently for Luna to speak.

"After I got drunk..." Luna paused again. Molly could tell that the girl was was struggling to get the words out. "So I decided for some reason it would be a good idea to got and tell Calvin how I feel." She looked away from Molly and turned her gaze towards the window.

"I take it, it didn't go well?" Luna shook her head. Molly could see the pink haired girl trying to hold back her tears. It took a few moments for Luna to compose herself to be able to speak again.

"Yeah well, I decided to try to go to Candace and Julius' house. I don't really remember much of anything else. I know Chase found me." Molly reached across the table to grasp the girl's hand.

"I'm sorry Luna." Luna attempted a smile. "You know he probably doesn't have room in his heart for you anyway, he's too in love with himself." Luna giggled lightly.

"Oh Molly thank you," Luna exclaimed. Molly felt herself feeling a bit closer to the girl sitting across from her.  
Molly looked at the watch on her wrist, it was nearing 17:00, and she still had not found any time to go to the Harvest Pond. She had spent the better half of the morning with Luna, but it had been nice to be able to connect with another person on the island. Molly had never been one to really need or rely on the friendship of others, but she had started to feel a bit lonely as of late, and she was starting to think that it might be nice to have a companion on the island.

She looked up at the sun that was still high in the sky towards the West. Wizard had warned her not to go to the Goddess Spring in the dark. But it was not quite night yet, perhaps she would be able to make it there and back in time. She gathered her rucksack and started up the trail to Garmon mines.

Molly stared at the beautiful lush green around the path, and tentatively stepped forward, gazing around at it's beauty. It was exactly what she had seen her dream. The details were like memories, instead of dreams. She shivered slightly.

"I don't think this is a good idea," Finn whispered in her ear. Molly ignored him. She was only a few steps in, and gasped to see a bear standing by the side of the path. Molly froze, she couldn't seem to move any muscles. She felt the crystal around her neck getting warmer. The bear slowly moved away. Her hand flew up to her chest, to where the crystal was starting to cool back down. She walked a little bit further. Molly looked back and could no longer see the entrance to the path, but it was still light. She wondered how far this path went. She turned back around to see Chase standing before her on the path. She let a little scream.

"Chase! Wha-" She did not finish the statement, in that moment Chase grabbed her arms as hard as he could.

"You shouldn't be here!" A loud booming voice came out of Chase's mouth. He did not sound normal.

"Chase let me go!" Molly said squirming. Her heart started beating faster and faster. She could feel the crystal against her skin, but this time it was getting colder. Chase's eyes were a frosty pale blue, not his usual violet. His hands on her arms felt icy cold. His glare was directed at her, and there was an anger and intensity in eyes that frightened her.

"Turn around now!" His grip only loosened slightly, Molly was able to break free of his grasp, shoving him down she started running off the trail. She could hear him running behind her. What the hell was he doing? She ran faster but she could hear him quickly approaching, Molly tripped over a root that was sticking out of the ground. She struggled to get back up off the ground. but she felt the ground sinking below her, she was able to at least get upright, but she was sinking. She looked desperately around for Finn, but he was gone. Chase suddenly appeared before her.

"Please help me!" she called out struggling against the quickly sinking sand. Chase stood watching Molly sinking.

"Chase please! Help me!"

"Give up," He yelled. "You cannot win!"

"What?" Molly screamed. "Please help me!"

"You will not be able to ring the bells! Give up now! It is futile, you will not win!"

Molly gave up screaming, knowing that the man was not going to help her. She continued to struggle against the sinking ground, but seemed to be sinking faster. She started to panic. She started sinking even more and more until everything but her head was under the ground. She took one final deep breath and stared at Chase who was doing nothing to help her, as her head finally went under. She struggled to hold her breath, the thick mass was enveloping her. She was fighting to keep consciousness, but slowly she started to succumb to the darkness.


	7. The Frost King

**Note: Thanks for following along for those who are. As always reviews are appreciated if you are following along as to what you think, or any suggestions you may have. Thanks to Charlyatt for the review. I hope you continue to read and enjoy. I will be going on vacation for two weeks so I will probably not be posting anything while I am gone. Anyway hope you enjoy this chapter. It gives a lot more storyline . **

Wizard was running as fast as he could through the wooded area surrounding the path to the Harvest Spring. His heart was beating faster, he had to save her! He would not allow what had happened to Jack happen to her. He weaved through the trees at top speed. He had been already half way to the spring, when Finn had come to tell him what had transpired. Finn had been in hysterics. He had already known Molly was in danger, he had felt the crystal he was wearing start to get cool against his skin. When he finally saw her, she was almost submerged under the quickly sinking ground. He watched as her head finally went under.

Wizard finally noticed that he was not alone, he saw the cook from the bar standing and watching her sink. Looking in the cooks' eyes he knew that it was not the cook standing there, but Ozari, his enemy. He stepped forward towards the Wizard. Wizard took a step back, he knew that Molly did not have much time in the pit before the damage became permanent.

"Wizard, you cannot beat me! We've one this before you always lose!" Ozari taunted him.

"Not this time," Wizard said with determination. Ozari lunged towards the Wizard, who side-stepped and avoided the attack. Wizard held up his hand and started chanting an old spell, but was tackled in the process. But since Ozari had taken over a human body, he was weaker, and Wizard was able to escape his grasp.

"You cannot think that you can beat a deity!" Ozari's voice boomed. He reached out and tripped Wizard before he could get any closer to the pit, and Molly. He lunged at the Wizard again, who was able to elude his grasp. Ozari fell face froward. The Wizard grabbed some of the vines around him, and quickly restrained his foe. He continued with immobilization spell, and then untied him. Even if Ozari had taken over the human's body, the human was still in there somewhere.

Wizard ran back over to the pit and reached his hand into the soft ground. He finally felt Molly. Grabbing onto her, he pulled her back to the surface. She was still breathing, but barely. He quickly administered an ointment over her body to stay off the enchantment of the pit until he could get her to his house and create the remedy. Picking her up he quickly headed back for his home.  
He reached his home, and gently placed her on his bed. Finn was still a sobbing mess.

"I t-tried to get you as f-fast as I could. As soon as I saw him!" Finn wailed. He was flying around the Wizard's head frantically.

"Finn stop! I need to concentrate!" Wizard shouted out. He ran over to his bookshelf and took out an old tattered book. He was trembling as he flipped through the pages. He had not used this book in years. He knew exactly how the pit had been created, and the book had the remedy for it. He grabbed the ingredients to make the potion. He needed to work fast, he only had two hours before the effects would be irreversible, and the potion would take at least an hour and half to fully peak so it would be effective.

Molly groaned from his bed. His eyes quickly moved to the previously sleeping form. If she started moving it would quicken the process. He ran over to her as she started to open her eyes.

"Molly lay still!" He ordered.

"What?" Molly asked.

"Don't move!" Her eyes were filled with fear as she looked at him.

"Ow!" she screamed in pain.

"You need to lay still! I am working on trying to save you but if you move it will get worse!"

"What is happening to me?" Molly asked

"Listen Molly right now no matter what. No matter how painful it's going to get, I need you to stay very still. You are slowly turning into stone. If you move the process will be faster. It's going to be very painful, but please try not to move. Don't speak, it will turn your vocal chords to gravel."

Molly's fearful look intensified. He longed to be able to take that fear away, but he knew what was going to happen next was going to be even worse. He did not want to think about the pain that Molly was about to endure for the next hour and a half while the potion was setting. The pain was bound to make her move. He suddenly had an idea.

"Molly, I'm going to put a spell on you to make you immobile. I need to you to do me a favor and close your eyes and keep them closed." The girl looked at him, he could see the doubt in her eyes, but she closed them anyway. He held out his hand and recited the same spell he had used to immobilize Ozari. Immobilizing her would at least make it so the spell would not quicken by her slight movements. He quickly moved back to finish the potion.  
Molly felt excruciating pain throughout her legs, if she could move she would have cried out. It was unlike any other pain she had ever felt before. Her mind was racing to try to grasp what was happening. No matter how she tried, she could not understand all of what the Wizard had just told her.

"You are slowly turning into stone." He had told her. She was turning to stone? Another sharp pain coursed through her legs. It felt as if someone had put her legs into a vice grip and was turning the handle. She was unable to move because of the spell that the Wizard had put on her.

She had no idea how long it had been since the Wizard had put the spell on her, but it seemed like hours had passed. The pain was increasing, and slowly moving up her body. She could feel it now in her hips. She felt like she was trapped underneath something very heavy that was slowly crushing her. Molly had never felt a pain so excruciating before.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of pain, she heard the Wizard chanting again. She was able to move.

"Molly you need to sit up." He commanded. She slowly sat up, causing a shooting pain to course up her back. She looked at her legs that were grey, they had turned to stone. She stifled a scream and turned to the Wizard causing a sharp pain in her neck. "Drink this. All of it."

He handed her a small bottle, and she lifted the bottle to her lips, pain coursing throughout her arm. The bottle felt heavy, but she could see it was not the bottle, but her arm that had also started to turn to stone. She started drinking, the potion was bitter and she felt herself gagging.

"Drink it all!" Wizard commanded again. She quickly finished the rest of the potion until it was finally gone. She felt some of the pain in her legs start to lighten. She looked at the Wizard who's look of fear equalled what she felt, and then fell into the blackness that was slowly starting to surround her.

Wizard caught her before she could fall to the floor. He let out a deep breath, as he watched her body slowly transform from the dark grey color, to the light tan color of her skin. His muscles started to slowly un-tense. She lay peacefully sleeping in his arms. He shifted her back onto his bed. He did not want to think about the unspeakable pain she had just endured.

He had not counted on Ozari being a problem. He would not have been if she had just listened to his warning about going to the Goddess Spring at night. He sighed in frustration. He hated having to work with a human. They were too unpredictable. His brown hand rubbed the back of his neck. He was frustrated with humans and their unreasonable notion that they were invincible. It had been the same with Jack. No matter how many times he had warned Jack about things, Jack had been unwilling to listen. Now here was Jack's daughter, doing the same stubborn things that Jack had done. He stared at the sleeping girl wondering if that was why he and the Witch had gotten it wrong the first time around. Perhaps the feelings and impressions had only appeared to be correct because of his relation to his daughter.

He sat by her bed watching her. Her breaths were slow and even, indicating the lack of pain. He felt relieved he had been able to save her, unlike Jack. Ozari had made a mistake in taking over the body of a human, it had weakened him. It was an advantage that Wizard would fully utilize. He watched her carefully waiting for her to awake. It had been two hours since she had taken the potion. He was starting to feel anxious. She should be waking at any moment, if the potion had worked properly. Her eyelids started to flutter. He once again felt relieved. She slowly opened her eyes and blinked at him in confusion. As he looked in her eyes, he realized how absolutely stunning her eyes were. They were a light golden brown, almost the color of honey. Molly sat up quickly, then grabbed her head in pain. Wizard's hand shot out, to catch her in case she fell.

"Where am I?" she asked, her voice still sounding gravelly.

"You're safe, you're here at my house," he explained. She lifted her and and scanned the room.

"My head hurts," she mumbled.

"You are probably dehydrated," he informed. "Stay here I will get you something to drink." He stood to get her something a glass of water. When he returned, she was shaking. A mixture of fear and pain were reflected on her face. He sat by her side and handed her the glass.

"Thank you," she whispered. She lifted the glass slowly to her lips, and took a long drink. Her gaze returned to his. He could see her hesitation to begin speaking again. He knew that she was thinking about what had just happened.

"Did I dream that?" She asked

"No," he answered seriously.

"I...All of that happened? Chase with his different eyes, the pit, me turning... Me turning to s-stone? That was all real?" Molly's voice trembled.

"Yes," Wizard responded tenderly. To his bewilderment, the young girl buried her face in her hands. He saw her struggling to keep control of her emotions. She started shaking uncontrollably. He sat stunned, in all his wisdom, human emotions still completely confounded him. He was never able to understand the range of emotions that humans often felt. He finally put his arms around the shaking girl, something he had seen other humans do. He was unsure if this was something that would help, but stayed there anyway until her shaking subsided.  
Molly slowly lowered her hands and looked at him, and he pulled away from her. Her breaths were still heavy.

"I almost died didn't I?" She asked. He was surprised by the calmness in her voice. He looked at her intently wondering whether or not he should tell her the truth.

"Not exactly," he answered deciding to go with the truth. He had withheld information the first time, and Molly's life had been put in danger. He was not willing to let that happen again.

"What do you mean by that?" she asked. She slowly folded her arms and tilted her head to one side. She looked as if she did not know if he was telling her the truth.

"You were almost turned to stone. You would have been alive, but you would have been stone. If your entire body had changed, it would be irreversible." Wizard paused before continuing. "The only way to let your soul free would be to smash the stone figure of you to little pieces. Only the Harvest King has enough strength to do so." Her eyes widened.

"How..."

"You fell into an enchanted pit, because you went off the path. Things like that can only be created off the path."  
"I-I didn't go off the path on purpose Chase scared me and I left running away from him."

"Molly that wasn't Chase."

"It wasn't?"Molly asked.

"No that wasn't. It was Ozari. He's the Frost King. He was banished a long time ago when, He used to live here with the Harvest Goddess, and the Harvest King," Wizard explained.

"The Harvest King?" Molly asked. "My dad journaled about him, who is he?"

"He is a deity just as the Harvest Goddess, although he's stronger than the Harvest Goddess. People don't know about him like they do the Harvest Goddess, he doesn't like humans. He is trapped ever since the Harvest Bells were scattered. The bells are the reason why the island is deteriorating. Ozari is the one who scattered the bells. He was able to come back from banishment, when the Harvest King left this realm, and now because the bells are scattered the Harvest King's portal back into this world is now broken."

"Bells?" Molly asked.

"The Harvest Goddess will be able to better explain the bells."

"And Ozari, the Frost King, why did he look like Chase?"

"Ozari has taken sanctuary in Chase's body. He is trapped there now, I could feel it when we struggled."

"I don't understand," Molly said.

"The Frost King does not have a human form like the Harvest Goddess or Harvest King. He's in spirit form. He cannot do much to interfere with the world in spirit form, but once he takes over a human body he can do more. However there are limitations, he can only come out on the first, fifteenth, and thirtieth of each month. That is when he has control of Chase's body. It is when his star appears over Castanet."

"Is Chase going to be okay?" Molly asked.

"I don't know," Wizard answered her. "You need to watch him closely. On every other day but the ones I told you. Ozari will be trapped behind an impenetrable wall inside of Chase's brain until then, he will not be able to hear you or see you, but on those days he will be. If you monitor Chase, you may be able guess Ozari's next move."

"I'm so confused," Molly said taking a handfuls of her hair and squeezing. Wizard reached for her hands and took them in his, another action he'd seen humans who were comforting other humans do.

"I know this is a lot of information, I will walk you home now if you wish, and tomorrow morning I will take you to the Harvest Spring. Also, I need you to listen to me," Wizard said trying not get angry with the human in front him.

"When I tell you to do something do it, when I say not to, don't." Molly looked down at the ground. He did not go further, He felt as if Molly had learned her lesson."

"Can I stay here for the night?" Molly asked. Wizard nodded, it would be safer for her in his home.

"Are you sure it will be safe tomorrow?"

"Molly he will be trapped by midnight. The immobilization spell I placed on him should have lifted, but he won't be able to touch you. I won't let him," Wizard assured. "You should get some sleep."

"What about you?" Molly asked.

"I am a wizard, I need very little sleep. Don't worry about me. Tomorrow we'll go to the Harvest Spring."  
Molly complied and laid back down on Wizard's bed, he could see the fear in her eyes still. He looked up at his ceiling cursing the fates that had brought him a young human girl to save Castanet.


	8. The Goddess Spring

**This is a shorter chapter, but I have other things planned for the next chapter that I felt did not fit in with this one. I hope you are enjoying this story. I will continue to try to update as much as possible. Thanks for the reviews! Always appreciated**

* * *

Molly trembled at the opening of the pathway to the Harvest Spring. The previous night's events were still prevalent in her mind. The pain she had felt was a memory that would be sticking with her for a while. The crystal against her chest was starting to warm up again. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath. _You can do this Molly._

"We do not have to proceed if you don't want to," Wizard replied softly. "We can do this another day if it's too soon."

"No, I am going to do this," she answered in determination. After what transpired yesterday she was more determined to save Castanet. She would not allow the Frost King to scare her off that easily.  
Molly stepped forward into the luscious green path. She looked once again. The bear near the entrance this time failed to frighten her and the crystal against her skin felt invigoratingly warm.

"Hurry this way!" Finn shouted excitedly. He was flying in front of both Molly and the Wizard.  
They made their way through thick bushes and leaves, pushing aside vines and branches that had overgrown in the path. The grass on the path brushed against Molly's knees. It seemed to go on in endless twisting and turning, They finally reached a point where thick vines and leaves covered the path like a curtain hanging from two oversized trees. Wizard put his hand out and stopped Molly.

"This is as far as I can go," he informed her. "The Harvest Spring is just beyond the these vines. walk up the stone path to the tree. Do not touch the tree, it will harm it. Finn will know what to do from here."

"Why can't you come?" she asked. The man standing before bowed his head. His long silvery braid hanging down around his shoulder.

"Just go," Wizard urged. "She's waiting for you."

Molly's hand shook as she tentatively reached up and parted the vines. She slipped through them hesitantly. After yesterday she knew not to underestimate the powers that existed on the island. In all her wildest dreams she never imagined she would ever be meeting the Harvest Goddess, in whose existence Molly had doubted just a few weeks earlier.

Her feet landed on grey brick. The sight before her was unlike what she had imagined. It appeared that the spring seemed to surrounded by some old ruins. They looked like some remains of an ancient great city. Buildings that at one time must have been wondrous in their glory, were starting to crumble. Large white columns lined the spring to her left. In front of her there were some rickety looking stone stairs, and an even less convincing looking path that was almost swallowed up with water. It was at that moment that her eyes caught a glimpse of the Goddess Tree. It stood beautifully at the end of the path on a small island in the middle of the spring. It had brilliant gleaming white bark. The long branches were starting to droop towards the ground and it was completely devoid of leaves.

"Molly we have to up to the Goddess Tree," Finn whispered in her ear. Molly stepped forward, her shoes making a resounding clicking noise against the stone path. The water around her gleamed as if there were diamonds scattered on it's surface. As she approached the tree she stopped, remembering Wizard's admonition to not touch it.

"This is the Goddess Tree?" Molly whispered.

"Yes!" Finn exclaimed. "Harvest Goddess! Please wake up! I've brought Molly to you."

A brilliant flash of silvery light illuminated the entire pond, making everything glisten. Molly shielded her eyes from the brightness of the light by bringing her arm up to cover them and turning her face towards the ground. When she looked up again, she could see the beautiful woman descending. She was even more beautiful in person than she had been in Molly's dream. She wore a shining light blue dress that appeared as if light radiated from it. Delicate silvery chains hung around her neck, wrists, and even across her forehead, that sparkled brighter than any jewelry Molly had ever seen. Her long flowing braids seemed to float weightlessly in the air and her transparent wings spanned out past arms length. Molly stood speechless for a moment.

"You are Molly," the Harvest Goddess stated. Her soft voice was melodic and calming. "I have been waiting for you."

"Yes, Wizard said you would tell me about the bells," Molly replied.

"Yes the bells. There are five bells scatter across the land by the Frost King. The red bell is the first bell you need to find. It is protected by the Harvest Sprite Alan. He is the leader of the Harvest Sprites. His is the bell of fire. The others are bells of earth, wind and water. However the first bell is Alan's bell frame. It is on the tenth floor of Lower Garmon mines. Find the Alan's red bell and bring it to the bell frame. It has to be united with the frame to ring. Once you are through with that, come back to me, and I will tell you about the next bell. If you do not ring the bells, this land will deteriorate and the Goddess Tree will die. With it I will be banished."  
"Oh Harvest Goddess!" Finn cried out, flying to her. She wrapped her arms around his tiny body.

"It's alright Finn," she soothed. "Now you must go with Molly." She turned her steady blue gaze back on Molly. "I must go now, this has tired me out. I am too weakened from the Goddess Tree's dying to do much of anything."

She released Finn. Molly felt a powerful rush of wind as her wings started to move lifting the Goddess back up, and in a bright flash of light, she was gone.

Molly stood for a moment completely still. She was not sure of what just happened. She needed to find a red bell? How in the world was she supposed to find a red bell? Where was this red bell supposed to be? She slowly turned back towards the path. When she stepped through the vines, Wizard was waiting for her.

"She said I needed to find the Red Bell," Molly stated softly.

"The Red Bell should be on it's frame, your father found it." Wizard replied. They turned to leave the Goddess Spring area.

* * *

Molly was slowly working her way down the floors of the mine. It was dark and she had a lantern with her. The mines had many twists and turns, the stairs were often hidden in the far back corners of each floor. It was difficult for her to navigate through it. It took an hour for her to reach the tenth floor. When she reached it, she saw Owen pounding away on a large rock, that seemed to be blocking the only pathway from the large opening. She looked around and did not see the bell frame, which meant it was behind the rock that Owen was attempting to break.

"What are you doing here?" Owen asked harshly.

"I am looking for the red bell frame," Molly said.

"Well you can't get to it right now," Owen grunted.

"When will I be able to get to it?" Molly asked.

"I dunno, I've been working on this large rock for the past couple of days. Come back in a few days," Owen said.

"I can't get to it sooner?" Molly asked.

"No," Owen said. "Unless you can walk through this large stone." He laughed as if he had made some hilarious joke. Molly became frustrated with him.

"Fine I'll come back," Molly said.

"Can't wait," Owen murmured sarcastically. Molly turned away from the frustrating Owen and started her ascent back up the mine.


	9. Jack's Death

Sunday rolled around and with it Molly's obligations to have dinner with the Hamiltons. Molly could think of several things that she would rather do than spend time with Mayor Hamilton. She did not trust him nor his obnoxious, pompous son. The week had felt like an eternity. The reflection in the mirror looked the same, but Molly had felt as if something about her had changed. She had fallen into an enchanted pit, almost been turned to stone, and she had seen the Harvest Goddess. She had decided to skip Sunday service at the church again. She was certain that Perry in all his knowledge could not possibly be able to help her with what she needed to know. She had been reading her father's Journal, and learning about his mishaps in trying to find the Red Bell. Apparently he had not encountered any enchanted pits, but maybe he had listened to the instructions of the Wizard.

She wasn't sure if she liked him or hated him. What she did know was that regardless of what she felt for him, he was there to protect her. He had saved her life. He had saved her from turning into stone. Her hand came up to tenderly touch the crystal around her neck. When he had first placed it around her neck he had informed her that it would let her know when she was in danger. It had proved to be true. He had rushed to her aid and had not let her die.  
In all her life, Molly had depended solely on herself. She had been careful to keep her distance from anyone. She had felt abandoned by her father and had thought if her father had been able to leave her, then anyone could. She had become independent when it came to her emotions and her survival. It terrified Molly that she was starting to rely on the Wizard being there to save her. She did not want to depend on anyone.

As she stepped onto the path leading into Harmonica Town, she saw Chase ambling towards town. Molly felt a fear grip her as she recalled the last time she had seen him, on the path to the Goddess Spring. She could feel a tingling sensation in her legs, a reminder of the excruciating pain she had endured just a few nights earlier. He looked up at her, the familiar violet tones back in his eyes. She breathed a quiet sigh of relief. Her muscles started to slowly un-tense. She saw no visible signs of the Frost King.

"Hello," Molly greeted with slight reluctance. Chase's gaze swept her small form.

"Where are you going all dolled up?" He asked, the familiar sarcasm and cynicism back in his voice. There was also a trace of sadness that Molly picked up.

"Mayor Hamilton invited me to dinner," she stated.

"That didn't take long," Chase mused.

"What do you mean by that?" Molly asked.

"Hamilton. He is constantly trying to get Gill married off," Chase explained.

"Ugh." The word escaped Molly's lips before she could stop. When had she become so expressive? "I mean..." Chase chuckled.

"Heh, don't worry, there is no love loss between Gill Hamilton and I," Chase stated. Molly smirked. Both men were abrasive and blunt, she imagined they would probably either get along really well or hate each other. Clearly it was the latter.

"Yeah well he's just kind of..."

"An asshole?" Chase finished for her. Molly could not help but giggle at the statement. They slowly turned around the bend to Harmonica Town.

"So does Hamilton creep you out at all?" Molly asked.

"Hamilton creeps everyone out," Chase replied.

"What are you doing in town on a Sunday, I don't see you as a church goer," Molly stated.

"Hayden asked me to do inventory," Chase replied.

"Oh," Molly said. There was an awkward silence between them. She finally came to the point where she had to turn north to the Hamiltons' house. "Well have fun, see ya around."

"Yeah," Chase answered back. She felt a little more comfortable around Chase after that short exchange. That night on the path had haunted her, and caused terrifying nightmares. These dreams disturbed her more than the ones she had been having about Wizard. Molly was exhausted, and she really did not want to spend the next few hours with the creepy mayor and his arrogant son.

"Molly so good to see you!" Hamilton greeted when he opened the door. He grabbed both of her hands. "Come in, Come in." He pulled her inside the door.

"Thanks," Molly muttered trying to stay upright as he practically dragged her across the floor.

"Gill where are you manners, say hello to the lovely young lady!" Hamilton chastised.

"Hi," Gill greeted grumpily. Fantastic, Molly thought. This is going to be just fantastic. Hamilton ignored Gill's grumpy mood and smiled at Molly.

"Thanks for inviting me here Mayor," Molly stated.

"Please call me Hamilton, everyone does. We're just about done with dinner preparations, Gill here made dinner, he's a wonderful cook if I do say so myself. And he's quite handsome, don't you think he's handsome my dear?" Molly coughed, unsure how to answer the question.

"Father stop!" Gill commanded, he turned his gaze to Molly apologetically. "You don't have to answer that." Molly breathed a sigh of relief. While Gill Hamilton was certainly not ugly, that was a question Molly preferred not to answer.

"What my dear boy, I was just asking the girl a question." Hamilton winked at Molly, which once again caused chills to go down Molly's spine. He really gave her a large dose of the creeps. Molly sat down at the table hesitantly.

"So what made you decide to come back?" Gill asked Molly as she slowly took a bite of the Tomato Risotto she'd been served. Molly had only bad experiences when it came to men and cooking. It was surprisingly tasty, with just enough firmness to the rice.

"Sense of duty I guess," Molly stated.

"Is there any of the men on the island that have caught your fancy?" Hamilton asked.

"Father!" Gill argued. "Seriously Molly, you don't have to answer that question." Gill glared at his father. Hamilton simply beamed at his son.

"Well I am just saying there are plenty of single men on the island who she can chose from," Hamilton stated. Gill threw another embarrassed apologetic look at Molly.

"I'm so sorry for my father," Gill replied. "He tends to not have any tact."

"I am simply just stating a fact," Hamilton stated jovially. Molly concentrated on her food, hoping to be able to leave as quickly as possible.

She was able to make her excuses with the help of Gill by seven. Gill had become her unlikely ally during dinner. He had thwarted all of his father's attempts to ask Molly awkward and weird questions. Molly did not imagine that she would ever be so grateful that Gill was there. She was anxious to get home to read some more of her father's journal. She had learned so much about the Red Bell. Wizard had informed her that her father had found it. He had managed to find it on the roof of an old abandoned house above the blacksmith's. Her father's perseverance to find the bells amazed her. She was nearing the end of his entries, and she had savored every one.

Reading the journal was Molly's connection to her father. She felt closer to him even though he was gone. She settled onto the bench by the window where she had found the journal. This had become her favorite reading spot.

**Yesterday I encountered the Frost King for the first time. I was walking past the Goddess Path, and I felt a chill go throughout my body. It was then that I saw standing in the entryway of the path a mysterious transparent figure. He was a frightening sight, with his pale, almost white eyes, and his long blue hair. He left icicles hanging from the trees he touched. **

**"Come closer Jack," he called out. **

**I of course did not listen to him. Wizard had warned me he was devious. I am not quite sure what happened next, but all I know is that these small sprites dressed in black and gray were flying around my head, attacking my neck, and my face. I ran forward to get away from them, but they were all around me blocking, so instead of running away from the Frost King, I ran towards him. When I reached him, I felt an icy chill go through my body. I felt vines wrap around my wrist keeping me in place. The horrid little sprites finally stopped attacking me, and bowed humbly before their master. He looked at me and his eyes turned to a deeper shade of blue, he chanted something that I could not understand. I was struggling against the vines, unable to free myself. Finally he stopped chanting. **

**"Do not fight it Jack." The Frost King whispered to me. I felt the cold breath go against my skin. He approached me and his translucent hand brushed over my entire body, leaving a trail of icicles and finished the last words of whatever he had been chanting. An evil smile had come over his face. I had never seen anything that evil in my life before. It was then that I finally heard the footsteps of the Wizard running up to me. The Frost King looked at the Wizard and told him it was too late, and then disappeared. The Wizard slowly untied my hands. **

**He told me to go home, take a lukewarm shower and to make sure it was not too hot. He also said that I needed to wear the warmest clothes I had. **

**Since yesterday I have been freezing. I am not quite sure what to do. Wizard said he needed to do some research, and he would come for me when he had completed it. I am freezing and it is the middle of summer. I am not sure what the Frost King has done to me, but I am cold, and it is hard for me to keep warm. I hope that Wizard comes up with the solution soon.**  
**Jack**

Molly stared at the words she had just read. It was the second to last entry in the journal. Dr. Jin had informed her that her father had appeared to be freezing to death, and there was no way to be able to save him. He had kept his father warm in all possible medical ways he had known how. Everyone had begged her father to go to the city hospitals, but her father had insisted that he knew he was dying and had wanted to stay on Castanet for his final days. She trembled as she turned the page to the very last entry. It was dated for a year later. The handwriting was shaky. She slowly continued to read.

**I am dying. I have been dying slowly for a year. Dr. Jin is in hysterics that he doesn't know how to fix it. Little does Dr. Jin know that he cannot fix this. The Frost King has won this battle, but I hope for the sake of this island that he has not won this war. I have asked the Wizard who came to visit me today if he could retrieve this journal. I will have him bring it back and hide it. I hope one day Molly will read this. **

**I was careless, I should have listened to the heeding of the Wizard. I should have listened when he told me to stay away from the Goddess Spring Path at night. What was my irresistible draw to it. I should have paid more attention to what it was that I was doing. I was so eager to find the next bell. I should not have done what I have done. I am angry with myself that I will not be able to continue to save Castanet. **

**I have so many regrets in my life. My biggest regret is not being able to see my precious Molly one more time. I should have just gone to the city. I should have just demanded to see her. I wonder if she would have accepted me? I wonder if she would have been able to ignore me after seeing me. I wonder what she would look like today. I wonder if she still looks like me. **

**I wonder what she will think when I am gone. I wonder if she will miss me. There are so many what ifs and unfinished thoughts in my head at the moment. I hope that my beautiful baby girl knows how much I have loved her over all these years, and I hope that one day she will find it in her heart to forgive her old man. Even after I am gone. **  
**There are so many things I had hoped to do in life, and now I am no longer going to be able to them. I hope above all that my Molly will be able to accomplish all the things she wants in life before her time comes to an end. I hope she finds happiness, and love. **  
**Jack.**

The offending words bit at Molly's aching heart. The Frost King had killed her father! She felt the anger growing inside of her. Surely the Wizard must have known this. Why had he never told her this? Why did she find out this way? She hastily put the journal in her rucksack and left for the Wizards house.  
Wizard sat back in his chair reading his book. The clouds had started to form ominously overhead, and the storm would come any minute. This was how it was on Castanet; the storms would come in suddenly without a warning and they would be violent. He was anxiously awaiting the storm.  
The first flash of lightning filled the sky and illuminated his house; at the same time the door flew open and an angry, soaked Molly stormed into his house.

"Why didn't you tell me the Frost King killed my father?!" She demanded. She rummaged around in her rucksack and pulled out Jack's journal. Wizard's eyes widened as he remembered that Jack had written about his death in the journal. In fact he had hidden the journal for Molly to one day find. At that time he had not expected that Molly would be the one to replace her father in saving the island.

"I.." He trailed off, not quite knowing what to say to the girl who was starting to form tears in her large eyes.

"He's dead because of the Island? He's dead because he..." Molly could no longer continue as tears streamed down her face. Wizard felt the sharp pain in his heart as it coursed through the crystal around her neck, then the one around his. He walked up to her to put his arms around her, but she shoved him away.

"Mol-"

"No! Don't touch me!" She shouted backing away from him. Tears were streaming down her face. "You stay away from me! I don't want your protection anymore!" She took the crystal from around her neck. "I don't want your help anymore!"

"Molly if I don't protect you, y-"

"Look what good your protection did my father," she said her voice calmer. She threw the crystal back at him. "I hate you." She turned and looked at him with anger in her eyes. She then abruptly ran out of the house.

Wizard stood with the crystal in his hands. He wasn't sure of what to do. She had stormed out of his house an hour ago, and into the storm. He only hoped she had the sense to go home. He was not going to push her into saving the island. If she chose to quit, then that was her choice. The storm outside waged as deeply as the storm inside of him. He knew that if she refused to help that it was only a matter of time before the Goddess Tree died. Then the Goddess would be banished. If both the Goddess and the Harvest King were banished, Ozari would regain power again. He was unwilling to allow his personal feelings to get in the way of what Molly needed at this point.

He heard a soft knocking on the door. Finn flew in immediately as he opened it.

"She's heading for the Goddess Spring!" Finn shouted. Wizard's head snapped up. He was angry this time. This human was frustratingly disobedient, and it could get her killed! He ran out of the his house, knowing the mortal danger she would be in if she entered onto the Path to the Goddess Spring.


	10. Battle on the Goddess Path

**So here is another update. I am going to try to update at least once every two or three weeks. Sorry this chapter is so short, but this is kind of a turn around point for Molly. More storyline stuff. As you can see very different from the game, but there will be many of the game elements throughout.  
**

* * *

Molly's feet carried her swiftly through the wind and rain up the path towards the Garmon Mine District. She could not feel the wind whipping the rain harshly against her face, nor could she feel the splatters of mud coming up against her legs. She could only feel the white hot intensity of her anger. Anger towards Wizard for not telling her about her father's death; anger towards the Frost King for killing her father; anger towards her mother for keeping her away for so long; and anger towards herself for not investigating sooner. She was angry that she had believed that her father had stopped loving her. She should have known that he would have always kept his promise no matter what.

She approached the old bridge crossing the river. It swayed in the wind. The river waters below crashing furiously against the rocks. Molly grabbed onto the ropes to steady herself and started to carefully make her way across. A strong wind ripped causing her grip to slip. Sharp pain shot up both her hands, as the rope slipped across them. She continued onward until she finally reached the other side of the river.

She was finally able to cross the river, and hurried towards the Goddess Path. She took two steps and saw the bear coming towards her. She pulled out the axe she had brought with her, swinging the dull edge of towards the bear. She connected with it's head and it crumpled to the ground. She walked further down the trail.

"Ozari!" She screamed. "If you can hear me come and get me!" She issued the strong challenge to the deity. Molly was not sure what she was going to do, all she could do was feel. Anger consumed every action. She heard a rustling in the leaves next to her. A tiny man about waist high dressed in black emerged. His eyes were glowing red; he was dressed similar to Finn. His giant wings flapped and he raised himself to Molly's face.

"The Frost King demands to know what business you have!" The sprite shouted.

Molly stared into the eyes of the evil sprite who was just inches away from her face. Molly's silence angered the sprite and he lifted his hand up and slapped her. The sharp thorns on his hands scraped across her cheek causing blood to drip from the cuts. Molly's anger was fueled and she lifted the axe and swung. It connected hard with his side. A large gash appeared in his side and he fell to the ground just as the bear had. He screamed a loud shattering scream causing more rustles came from the surrounding path. Sprites of many shapes and sizes started emerging from the surrounding area. They ranged in sizes from Finn's size to the size of the sprite she had just injured. There were at least fifteen of them. Molly braced herself for a battle. If she was going to die, she would at least take some of them with her. She continued to swing the axe around. It connected with another sprite, causing a gash in his neck. Dark blood spurted, and then he was still. More started coming at her. She felt a gash in her leg and screamed out in pain. Grabbing the small sprite who had attached her leg, she threw him as hard as she could against a tree. Another attacked her arm and a large gash appeared. Blood started oozing out of the wound. Her arm grew weaker and she could barely lift up the axe. She felt that she was losing her strength, and losing the battle.

"Molly!" A voice shouted through the darkness and the wind. It was quickly drowned out with a flash of lighting and a burst of thunder. she recognized the voice of Wizard calling out to her. She saw him then running towards her. She felt another Sprite cling to her back. She screamed out once again in pain. Wizard approached. Grabbing the sprite off from her, he moved in to protect her. He threw the sprite as hard as he could to the ground. The sprite was still for a moment. Molly's knees failed her and she fell to the ground, dropping her axe. The sprite regained it's composure and lunged towards Molly. She watched as Wizard picked up her axe and swung it. The broadside of the axe connected with the sprite's face. Two more sprites started coming towards him and he continued his battle. Molly struggled to get up. She couldn't see what was happening, just flashes of blue and red around her. She heard Wizard cry out and more soft thudding sounds as the axe continued to hit the sprites.

Wizard finally picked up Molly and carried her out back into the Garmon Mine area. Once outside of the path, they sprites could no longer reach them. Wizard carried her over to the mine cart that would take them to Harmonica Town. His blue eyes were filled with anger. She braced herself for whatever he was about to say to her. Instead he stayed mute, carefully placing her into the cart. The jostling of the cart caused Molly to wince in pain. She cast a glance at Wizard who had cuts and gashes in his shirt. The dark blood was starting to stain the blue coat he was wearing. She shuttered and closed her eyes.

Wizard placed Molly into his bed, reminiscent of the last time he had saved her from the dangers of the Goddess Path.

"I'm going to call Dr Jin," Wizard said.

"No!" Molly shouted. "I - no.' She was trembling. She had several deep gashes and was in need of treatment.

"Molly, you are badly injured," Wizard stated. He tried to control the anger he felt towards the girl at the moment.

"Please I don't want Dr. Jin to know," she whispered. Wizard finally consented. He limped over to the cabinet, to grab an old ointment that would help heal some of her wounds. He grabbed a large wooden bowl and filled it with warm water. He walked carefully over to the bed where Molly was laying, her breaths were labored with pain. Stupid human, he thought. She nearly got us both killed. Molly tried to sit up.

"Lie still!" Wizard commanded. She complied and set her head back down.

"Wizard I-"

"Not now," he interrupted. Gently lifting her left arm he started cleaning out her wounds, he administered some of the ointment, and gently wrapped her arm with some cloth. He flipped over her hands that were burned from the rope of the bridge and gently smeared more of the ointment over them. He continued to administer to her many wounds. She could see that he was still in pain as well. Blood was dripping down his face. It looked different than human blood. It was a darker red with an almost bluish tint. She looked away from him, tears squeezing out of the corner of her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

He did not answer her, just continued to bandage her wounds. He was very gentle and calming. She felt the strength being sapped out of her and fell into the sleep that overcame her.

Wizard stood looking into his crystal ball. He chanted in his head summoning the Harvest Goddess. He stood with only a pair of black pants that were tied at the waist. His pain was intensified, as the ointment he had used on Molly would be useless on him. He had taken some thread and sewed some of the larger gashes up. Allowing the wounds to breath at this point would be the best way to allow them to heal. The crystal ball changed from the light blue to a glowing silver. He waited patiently for the Goddess to start speaking.

"What is your need young one?" Goddess asked, her voice soothed into his mind.

"The young girl," Wizard responded "Is there no other way?"

"You already know the answer," the Goddess responded.

"She nearly killed the both of us," Wizard argued.

"She's a young girl, remember this. A young girl who's grieving the loss of her father," the Goddess answered. "Have some patience with her. It is your sworn duty to protect her."

"She doesn't listen!" Wizard insisted.

"I recall you were once like that," the Goddess mused.

"I never put anyone else in danger!"

"Patience young one, patience. I don't believe she realized that by putting herself in danger she was also putting you in danger. We need her." Wizard hung his head.

"Goddess please forgive me, " he pleaded.

"There is nothing to forgive, just protect her, and remember she's human with all the range of emotions that come with that," she reminded him. The crystal ball returned to it's blue color, and the Goddess was gone.

Molly was sleeping in his bed once again, her breathing no longer labored. She had a peaceful countenance as she slept dreamlessly. He was grateful for that. He felt contradicting feelings of anger and sympathy for the girl. She had a way of eliciting emotions from him that he was not accustomed to feeling. She was stubborn and frustrating, yet there was an underlying vulnerability that he felt.

Wizard was exhausted from the fight with the evil sprites. The storm had given them power, they had been clearly acting under direct orders of the Frost King. It was a dangerous game that Molly seemed to be playing. At the moment though, he did not want to think about it anymore. He settled into a large chair and promptly fell asleep.

* * *

Molly slowly regained consciousness. She blinked a few times. She recognized that she was in Wizard's house. The memory of her battle with the evil sprites came flooding back into her mind. He had once again come to her rescue. She had not expected him to come after all the things she had said to him. The pain had dulled quite a bit. The ointment that Wizard had used had worked.

She shifted her weight grimacing with pain. She glanced over at the Wizard who seemed to be in pain even while asleep. He was sitting in large chair. She had once again taken his bed for the night. Remorse filled her. She had not only put her life in danger, she had put his in danger as well. She decided that she would make it up to him by doing whatever she could to help him save the Island. It was the least she could do. Lightning flashed and she saw the dark gashes in his body that had been roughly sewn up. He must have done that himself. She winced when she thought of how painful it would have been. She limped over to the Wizard. She she stared down as his sleeping form she was starting to realize that they were connected to each other in an inexplicable way. She resisted the urge to brush back some of the hair that had fallen over his eyes. Instead, grabbing a blanket, she covered his sleeping for and limped her way back to his bed. Exhaustion took over once again, and she fell back into a dreamless sleep.


	11. Bells or Toys

**Yes, I am alive. Just had the worst case of writer's block. I am struggling a bit with this story and how I want to proceed with the looking for the bells. I still want to keep the theme of the story. I don't want this to all of the sudden become something easy for Molly. Each bell is going to come with each of it's separate challenges. Anyway I hope you enjoy this update. I know there is not much to it, but I needed an introduction to the red bell. **

* * *

A loud knock jolted Molly awake from a deep slumber. The clock near the bed was blurry, she gingerly rubbed her eyes. It was almost 9 in the morning! She shook her head. Ever since her battle with evil harvest sprites, she lacked the energy to be able to get up early in the morning. It had been a week and her wounds were still healing. Every muscle in her body was still sore. She had effectively managed to ignore everyone in town for a week. She trudged across the cold floor to open the door. What was it with people in this town showing up at her doorstep unannounced and uninvited? The ever cheerful, mostly creepy Mayor Hamilton stood at her doorway.

"Well good morning, late morning for you huh?" He asked jovially. Molly suppressed the urge to roll her eyes at the short round man. Molly nodded her head slowly. "I am here because I am concerned about you. It is no secret that you are becoming friends with the fortune teller, I wanted to warn you about him. I fear he might be a dangerous man. He is so secretive. People who have nothing to hide are not that secretive."

Molly leaned against the doorframe of her house and crossed her arms across her chest. This man had some nerve to tell her about whom she should be friends with. If only Hamilton knew that this man he was criticizing was doing everything he could to save the Castanet; even at times risking his life. Molly's attitude toward the Wizard had changed since the night of the battle, but she had not talked to him since the morning she had left his house. He had not sought her out either. Molly knew he was angry with her.

"He's harmless," Molly replied back evenly, struggling to keep the anger she felt bubbling up under control. Losing her temper with the mayor was going to no good.

"He's not harmless," Hamilton replied his face became redder, and his anger just barely controlled. "You don't know what he is capable of. It is because of his little experiments that my dear wife lost her life. I am convinced of it. Her illness was his fault!"

Molly stared at the man who was fuming at her. It was doubtful that Wizard would do anything of the sort. It seemed amazing to her the lengths this man would go through. She knew how much Hamilton wanted her to be with his son; the thought of which made Molly a bit sick to her stomach.

"He is more than what he seems, just be careful with whom you align yourself to!" Hamilton spat out.

"Are you threatening me?" Molly asked, her eyes narrowed at the small man standing in front of her.

"Just be careful." Hamilton restated. He quickly turned on his heel and left Molly standing in her doorway. Anger burned through her. Just who did that man think he was telling her not to talk to Wizard. She shook her head. She needed to put the mayor out of her head, she had more important things to do. It had been long enough, and today she needed to get back to the red bell.

* * *

Wizard watched as Mayor Hamilton returned to town hall. His last encounter a few days ago with the mayor had made Wizard suspicious of the man. Something had been different. The mayor had always been more friendly with Wizard than anyone else in town. While it had been annoying at times how hard the mayor seemed to try it was never more than just a trivial annoyance. The sudden change in the man was suspicious. Wizard knew that the forces of evil that were plaguing the island were going to be working even harder to try to stop Molly and Wizard in their plight to save the island. Things were going to get even harder. Perhaps it was nothing. It was no secret that Hamilton was determined to get his son and Molly paired together. He had seen the mayor several times, when Molly had visited. It could be as simple as Hamilton feeling threatened by Molly's presence at his house. It could be something as simple as that - but Wizard could not get rid of the feeling that it wasn't quite that simple. What worried him was the direction he had been coming from, Flute Fields, out by where Molly lived.

He was reluctant to proceed ever since the battle with the evil sprites. It had been his error. He was angry with himself for not telling her before she'd had a chance to read about it in Jack's journal. He was still trying to understand common interactions with humans. The feelings and the emotions that seemed to consume humans confounded him. It was an area of study where he seemed to lack. What frustrated him even further was that the Witch had seemed to understand more about the subject than he. How she would tease him if he ever conceded that information to her. It had been a week since fighting with the sprites, his wounds were finally getting to a point where the pain had subsided. He found himself surprisingly not as angry with Molly.

He jumped at the pounding on his door. The harshness of the knock indicated it was clearly not Molly. Wizard groaned inwardly fully expecting Mayor Hamilton to be at his door. Instead when he opened the door Chase stood before him.

"Hello," Wizard greeted. "How can I assist you today?"

Most people came to him for readings of the future, or readings of love. They wanted to know if their love interest was interested back. Chase's face displayed a different story. He was not there for something so simple.

"I..." Chase started. He looked uncomfortable being there. "I don't know who else to ask about this. I am losing days. There are days that I black out and don't remember anything. I end up waking up in the weirdest places."

Wizard regarded Chase unsure of what to tell him. He knew the truth would be too much for any human to be able to comprehend. No human wanted to hear they were a vessel for an evil being. He knew enough about human emotions to understand that basic concept.

"Tell me a bit more about these instances," Wizard prompted.

"The first time it happened I found myself in the woods near the carpenters house at midnight. It always happens at midnight that I regain my consciousness," Chase explained. "Do you know what the hell is happening to me?"

"At this point what I need from you is to write down when it happens, dates, times that you regain consciousness, and anything else you can remember. Impressions, feelings anything," Wizard instructed. If he could get the feelings and impressions from Chase, he could possibly predict what Ozari had planned. "I need the first instinctual reactions from when you first regain consciousness. So concentrate on those feelings so you can write them down."

"I'll try anything at this point," Chase stated matter of factly. Chase pulled out some G from his pocket and placed it in the Wizard's hands. He nodded quickly and made his exit. Wizard liked that about the bar's cook. He was straightforward and to the point. He hated how often humans would hem and haw over what they really wanted him to do. As if he cared at all.

* * *

Molly made her way down to the tenth floor of the mines. To her relief, Owen was not present. The last encounter with him had been less than pleasant. She made her way over to the bell frame to notice that it was missing again. She was dismayed.

"I can't believe it's gone!" Finn sobbed. "Where's Alan?"

Molly jumped. She had forgotten about Finn. She had grown so accustomed to the sound of his flying in her ear that she didn't even realize he was there at times.

"We'll find him," Molly stated with determination. She marched back out of the mines to see a small red haired girl playing with something that looked suspiciously like a red bell. Then to Molly's horror the girl kicked the bell sending it flying into the blacksmith's chimney.

"Oh no!" Finn shouted. "That was the red bell!"

Molly rushed over to the little girl.

"Did you see that?" the girl asked. "That was quite a kick if I do say so myself."

"Where did you find that thing you just kicked?" Molly asked.

"Down in the mines," the girl said proudly. "Just now, it was laying next to some large frame. But now my new toy is stuck in that chimney."

"It's not a toy," Molly stated trying to keep her temper under control.

"Who are you to tell me that!" the little girl shouted angrily. She started stamping her feet on the ground.

"What the hell is going on!?" A voice boomed from behind Molly. She winched recognizing the voice as Owen's.

"Owen this woman is being mean to me!" the girl shouted.

"I..." Molly started.

"What did you do?" Owen asked his eyes narrowing.

"I didn't do anything," Molly answered back calmly. She knew getting into a shouting match with Owen would not accomplish anything. "Look I was looking for the sacred red bell, this little girl..."

"Chloe!" the girl interrupted.

"Okay, Chloe, she had the bell and kicked it into that chimney," Molly pointed over to the blacksmith's house.

"Where did you find that bell?" Owen asked Chloe.

"In the mines," Chloe said proudly.

"How many times have gramps and I told you not to go down there alone?" Owen chastised. Chloe pouted. Molly was beginning to really hate this little girl.

"Is there a way we can get that out of the chimney?" Molly asked, hoping to avoid another confrontation. Owen shrugged.

"Ask gramps," He replied, and started to walk away.

"Wait! Who is your grandpa?" Molly asked. Owen sighed heavily.

"He's the blacksmith," Owen said. "Come on, I guess I can go with you." He turned towards the blacksmith's shop. Molly begrudgingly followed.


	12. At The Mountaintop

**I have a better idea of How I want to portray this story. I am definitely going for a darker feel. I hope you enjoy it. **

Thick billowy black smoke hung low in the dismal looking blacksmith's shop. An old man was looking up the chimney of an old forge. Soot covered nearly every surface. Molly felt restricted, and found it difficult to breath. The old man turned around and glared at the intrusion. His sharp eyes pierced Molly with a chilling look of annoyance.

"What is the meaning of all of this?" Ramsey's voice boomed. He coughed through the smoke.

"My toy got stuck in the chimney!" Chloe exclaimed.

"It's not a toy!" Finn shouted in Molly's ear. Molly shushed him. Both Ramsey and Owen turned in her direction. She attempted a sweet smile in return. A sudden fit of coughs overcame Molly. The smoke was just too thick.

"Get outside!" Ramsey barked out. He quickly ushered Molly outside. Turning to his small granddaughter he scowled lightly. "This is a fine mess you've created Chloe." The words lost all their affect with the tone of voice he used to address his granddaughter.

"I didn't mean to," Chloe said in a singsong voice. Molly was disgusted by the display in front of her. It was clear that this spoiled little brat had her rule of the house.

"I know you didn't," Ramsey chided gently. "But you have to be more careful."

"The red bell of fire is what is stuck in your chimney," Molly interjected.

"What?!" Ramsey's demeanor changed instantly. His anger was evident. "Chloe! How many times have I told you to leave that bell alone? It's not a toy!" Chloe's bottom lip jutted out and she let out a loud wail. Molly jumped at the noise. No real tears fell down the small girl's cheek, but both Owen and Ramsey started stumbling over themselves to try to soothe the small child. Molly was disgusted with how easily she was able to manipulate two grown men. The fake crying did nothing to Molly except irritate her more. Chloe was finally pacified after Owen produced some candy from his pocket.

"Sorry about that," Ramsey said looking a bit ashamed.

"So about the bell?" Molly asked ignoring the apology.

"Right, well from what I can see it's really stuck. I'll need to create a smoke boom, but in order to do so I'll need a significant amount of gold, silver, copper and iron ore," he advised.

"Ok," Molly answered with determination.

"Heh like it's that easy," Owen scoffed. Ramsey shot a look towards Owen.

"Owen will help you," he stated. Owen glared at his grandfather but said nothing. "Come here tomorrow after your morning chores."

"That'll be around 10," Molly informed.

"He'll be waiting," Ramsey said firmly. Molly shot a glance over to Owen, who had his gaze fixated off in the distance. She could see the movements of his jaw clenching.

"Thank you," Molly said. With that, she turned and walked away. She was not particularly looking forward to spending time with Owen. He obviously didn't want to spend time with her. She could hear Ramsey berating Owen as she continued to leave the Garmin mine district.

"I taught you to treat women better'n that my boy..."

Molly shook her head. Hopefully they'd find the ore quickly. She didn't want to have to deal with that family any more than was absolutely necessary.

* * *

Wizard stood staring at the crystal ball. He didn't normally observe human actions. Besides the blatant intrusion of privacy, he found human interactions to be quite boring. He would much rather be conducting research. Observing Chase was necessary to trying to predict Ozari's next move. Chase proved to be a fairly interesting human. His musical talent far outweighed his cooking abilities, which were excellent. This human was certainly different than most. Watching him was almost fascinating. This human portrayed himself as gruff and uncaring. But Wizard had seen many instances where Chase had gone out of his way to help someone, while not drawing any attention to himself. This was a common trait he was often confused about by humans. They would present themselves in a different light than they actually were. In most cases people would try to portray themselves in a better light. It was curious to Wizard that the bar's cook was opposite.

He tore himself away from the beautiful melody Chase was playing. He needed to head up the mountain. Tonight the conditions would be perfect. Tonight would be his best chance to try to communicate with the Harvest King.

He stood at the bottom of the mountain. The inscriptions were faint and starting to fade. The longer the Harvest King stayed banished, the more they would continue to fade. Wizard quickly glanced around to make sure no humans were around. If the wrong human found out about his power they would certainly try to take advantage of it. Humans always felt that power was something that could be used to their advantage. Finding a human who would not try to exploit it was difficult. When he was certain no one could see him, he placed his hand on the inscription and chanted softly. A soft light fluttered around him, and lifted him swiftly up to the top of the mountain where the Harvest King's throne sat.

Wizard stood in the middle of the peak with his eyes closed, waiting for any contact. A strong wind picked up, and rushed around him.

"My faithful servant," a voice came through the wind. "Listen carefully. Ozari's strength... growing. The human..." Wizard strained to listen, the voice was cutting out, the connection between this world and the banished world was too weak.

"What about the human? Which one?"

"...may not survive... too diffi...must move quickly..."

The wind stopped. The tenuous connection was broken. Wizard waited to see if more would come, but the air stayed still. Wizard hung his head. Wizard hung his head. Getting involved with humans was tricky. He had never cared too much about one, but he did not want to see one have to give their life for the sake of Castanet. Which human had the Harvest King been talking about? He needed to figure that out quickly. Wizard felt the overwhelming feeling of despair. There were very few things that were our of his scope of control, this was one of them.


End file.
